Digital Commons Network^™

Factors That Influence Faculty Intentions To Support The Community College Baccalaureate, Lori Kielty

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An increasing number of community colleges in the United States are becoming baccalaureate-granting institutions. Proponents of the community college baccalaureate (CCB) argue that the CCB provides students with access to higher education, while others argue the CCB will compromise the community college's core values.

The purpose of this study is to explore faculty members' intention to support the CCB transition. Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior provides the theoretical framework for the study. The theory assumes that changes in behavior are intentional and, therefore, can be planned. This theory posits that attitudes, subjective (social) norms, and perceived behavioral control predict intentions …

Academic Performance, Persistence, And Degree Completion Of Associate In Arts Degree Recipients Transferring To A Four-Year Multi-Campus Institution, Saul Reyes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study assessed if there were differences in the academic performance, persistence, and degree completion for Associate in Arts transfer students in selected majors who enrolled in the different campuses of a multi-campus university. This causal comparative study analyzed historical student enrollment data from a large, urban, public, research university. Multiple and logistic regression techniques were used to simultaneously control for important independent variables identified in the literature. Variables that were significant (p < .05) for at least one of the three dependent variables included campus, major, community college GPA, gender, and ethnicity. Significant campus differences were found in academic performance, but not for persistence or degree completion. Significant differences by major were reported for academic performance, persistence, and degree completion.

A Microwave Radiometer For Close Proximity Core Body Temperature Monitoring: Design, Development, And Experimentation, Quenton Bonds

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Presented is a radiometric sensor and associated electromagnetic propagation models, developed to facilitate non-invasive core body temperature extraction. The system has been designed as a close-proximity sensor to detect thermal emissions radiated from deep-seated tissue 1 cm – 3 cm inside the human body. The sensor is intended for close proximity health monitoring applications, with potential implications for deployment into the improved astronaut liquid cooling garment (LCG). The sensor is developed for high accuracy and resolution. Therefore, certain design issues that distort the close proximity measurement have been identified and resolved. An integrated cavity-backed slot antenna (CBSA) is designed to …

Ensemble Learning With Imbalanced Data, Larry Shoemaker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We describe an ensemble approach to learning salient spatial regions from arbitrarily

partitioned simulation data. Ensemble approaches for anomaly detection

are also explored. The partitioning comes from the distributed processing requirements

of large-scale simulations. The volume of the data is such that classifiers

can train only on data local to a given partition. Since the data partition reflects

the needs of the simulation, the class statistics can vary from partition to partition.

Some classes will likely be missing from some or even most partitions. We combine

a fast ensemble learning algorithm with scaled probabilistic majority voting in

order to learn …

The Emotional Guardianship Of Foreign-Born And Native-Born Hispanic Youth And Its Effect On Violent Victimization, Amy Sheena Eggers

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study seeks to expand the scope of assimilation theory by integrating it with elements of routine activities theory to better understand what influence assimilation has in regard to violent victimization. Specifically, the purpose of this study is to determine whether or not differences in victimization rates between foreign-born and native-born Hispanic youth are related to variations in emotional guardianship. Emotional guardianship refers to the aspect of relationships (i.e., affection and communication) between Hispanic youth and their parents that serve to protect the youth from being victimized. I hypothesize that foreign-born Hispanics have greater emotional guardianship than native-born Hispanics, and …

The Restorative Effects Of Smoking Upon Self-Control Resources, Bryan W. Heckman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Based on a model that considers self-control (SC) to be a limited resource, research suggests that diminished SC resources increase the likelihood of smoking. Yet, no study has evaluated how smoking affects SC resources. This study used a randomized, 2 x 2 crossed factorial (SC depletion manipulation X smoking manipulation), between-subjects design to test the hypothesis that smoking restores depleted SC resources. To manipulate SC depletion, half of the 132 dependent smokers were instructed to suppress their emotional reaction to a brief video depicting environmental damage (i.e., Depletion), whereas the other half were instructed to “act natural” (i.e., No Depletion) …

A Case Study Of The Significant Events And Legal Parameters Surrounding Charter School Movement At The State And Federal Level, Monica L. Ilse

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

All states have different perspectives and various statutes within broader constitutional law. Perception of public dissatisfaction with public schools has led to choice schooling options for parents. One of the fastest growing choice options in schooling is charter schools; schools privately run by organizations through public funds. This study analyzes the governance of charter schools and how charters operate under legal guidelines and Florida statutes, with significant legislative events cited. This study answers the following questions as they relate to evolution and legal parameters surrounding the charter movement using exploratory case study method: 1) What is the evolution of the …

Design Of A New Suturing And Knot Tying Device For Laparoscopic Surgery, Sinan Onal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Minimally invasive or laparoscopic surgery has completely changed the focus of surgery becoming an alternative to various types of open surgery. Minimally invasive surgery avoids invasive open surgery as the operation is performed through one or more small incisions in the abdomen and using a small camera called laparoscope. Through these incisions, surgeons insert specialized surgical instruments to perform the operation resulting in less postoperative pain, shorter hospital stay, and faster recovery. However, the main problems during minimally-invasive surgery are the limited space for operating instruments and the reduced visibility and range of motion inside the patient’s body. During minimally-invasive …

An Analysis Of The Travel Patterns And Preferences Of The Elderly, Sujan Sikder

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The number of elderly is increasing; to meet their transportation needs, it is important to clearly understand their travel patterns and preferences. Since travel patterns and preferences depend on socio-demographic and other factors, it is essential to identify these factors first to understand the travel behavior of the elderly. The main purpose of this thesis is to analyze the travel patterns and preferences of the elderly age 65 and above using 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) data. This thesis presents a detailed descriptive analysis of 2009 NHTS data to understand the travel patterns of the elderly. Along with a …

A Roof Runoff Strategy And Model For Augmenting Public Water Supply, Robert Carnahan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water is the essential resource that is becoming extremely scarce worldwide. The 21st century will further stress all available water resources through the growth and expansion of developing nations. It is not only the quantity of cheap water that is being depleted, but the quality of these waters is being endangered. Florida is an example where rapid development and an exploding population are competing for shrinking groundwater resources. Current water use does not address the use of alternative supplies and reuses in the United States.

The objective of this research was to determine a strategy for augmenting existing water supplies …

Design, Combinatorial Synthesis, And Biological Evaluation Of Novel Α-Helical Mimetics Based On Functionalized Piperazines As Antagonists Of P53/Mdm2 Interactions, Melissa Elizabeth Topper

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The p53 protein promotes tumor eradication upon activation, making it an attractive target in cancer therapies. A reported 50% of all human cancers display aberrant activation of the MDM2 oncoprotein, which directly promotes tumorgenesis by inactivating the transcriptional activity of wild type p53, and is commonly associated with drug, chemo, and radio therapy resistance. Previously reported crystallographic analysis of the p53/MDM2 complex infers that the p53 protein forms a 2.5 turn amphipathic alpha helix whose hydrophobic face interacts within a deep hydrophobic cleft in the NH2-terminal domain of the globular MDM2. This suggests that the synthesis of small molecular antagonists …

Core Promoter Function In Brugia Malayi, Michelle Bailey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies have indicated that the promoters of the human filarial parasite Brugia malayi are unusual in that they do not exhibit the CAAT or TATAA sequences usually found in the core domains of promoters of most eukaryotic organisms. Analysis of the promoters of the ribosomal proteins showed that the region flanking the splice leader (SL) addition site plays an important role in transcription and may function as the core promoter domain in B. malayi. To test the hypothesis that the SL addition domain is the most important essential region of the ribosomal protein promoters, the SL addition site of …

Discrimination Of Human And Non-Human Sources Of Pollution In Gulf Of Mexico Waters By Microbial Source Tracking Methods And The Investigation Of The Influence Of Environmental Factors On Escherichia Coli Survival, Asja Korajkic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water quality worldwide is assessed by enumeration of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) (fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, and enterococci) intended to act as surrogates for human enteric pathogens. In environmental waters, this predictive relationship is confounded by many possible sources of FIB with varying implications for human health. Many physico-chemical and biological factors influence the fate of enteric pathogens and FIB in aquatic habitats, but are poorly understood, thus limiting our understanding of the usefulness of FIB as fecal pollution indicators.

These studies explored the field application of a “toolbox” approach to microbial source tracking (MST) intended to discriminate between human …

The Gulf Of Mexico Red Snapper Individual Fishing Quota Program: The Effects On The Fishing Industry And Potential Outlook, Nathan Miller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In January 2007, the Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery took a step toward sustainability and began management under an individual fishing quota (IFQ) system. The hope is that direct ownership stakes by fishers brings more direct involvement on behalf of the boat owners and fishermen as well as more responsible and sustainable fishing practices on depressed fish populations. The research was conducted in order to study the welfare of local fishing communities as well as the effects on the red snapper fishery itself. Traditional fisheries and economic data were analyzed. In addition a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) of the …

Utilizing Facebook Application For Disaster Relief: Social Network Analysis Of American Red Cross Cause Joiners, Jennie Wan Man Lai

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the exponential growth of Facebook users worldwide, this platform for social network online has become a powerful tool to connect individuals and share information with each other. This study explores the phenomenal trend of utilizing a Facebook application called Causes to help users organize into online communities for a specific cause and mobilize their resources for disaster relief during the Haiti earthquake disaster. Two separate samples of 100 joiners each from the American Red Cross (ARC) Cause on Facebook were randomly selected before and after the Haiti earthquake disaster to examine the differences of the composition (i.e., attributes) and …

Personality And Adjustment To Assisted Living, Whitney L. Mills

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adjustment to assisted living does not always proceed smoothly, making it imperative to identify predictors of transition difficulties, such as personality factors. The sample for this cross sectional study included 64 older adults from ten assisted living communities in the southeast. The primarily white, well-educated, and female sample had an average age of 86 years. Correlation was used to examine relationships between individual personality factors (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) and adjustment. Factor analysis determined both the predictor variables and outcome variables for inclusion in regression analyses. The regression analyses examined the predictive capacity of personality relative to other …

The Impact Of Maladaptive Schema On Disordered Eating: A Collective Case Study, Susan Hurley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study is based on the reality that disordered eating such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and compulsive overeating resulting in obesity represent a major and growing problem in community health. Treatment models using cognitive behavioral therapy suggest that those diagnosed with an eating disorder tend to judge themselves in terms of their body shape, weight, and eating habits. However, the recovery rate for those treated for an eating disorder that only addresses those three issues identified above is less than 60%. A number of quantitative studies have provided evidence that other maladaptive schema may contribute to bulimic and …

Enhancing Gene Expression Signatures In Cancer Prediction Models: Understanding And Managing Classification Complexity, Vidya P. Kamath

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cancer can develop through a series of genetic events in combination with external influential factors that alter the progression of the disease. Gene expression studies are designed to provide an enhanced understanding of the progression of cancer and to develop clinically relevant biomarkers of disease, prognosis and response to treatment. One of the main aims of microarray gene expression analyses is to develop signatures that are highly predictive of specific biological states, such as the molecular stage of cancer. This dissertation analyzes the classification complexity inherent in gene expression studies, proposing both techniques for measuring complexity and algorithms for reducing …

Between Agency And Accountability: An Ethnographic Study Of Volunteers Participating In A Juvenile Diversion Program, Marc R. Settembrino

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since the 1970s, the United States has witnessed a great expansion of community-based restorative justice programs. These programs serve as alternatives to the traditional court and probation system. Unlike the traditional justice system, restorative justice focuses on repairing harm done by an offense and works toward restoring the offenders to good standing in the community. While there is a significant amount of research which has examined the effectiveness of community-based programs, relatively little research has focused on the community volunteers who participate in these programs. I conducted an ethnographic study (observations and interviews) of community volunteers participating in a juvenile …

Re-Connecting: Revitalizing Downtown Clearwater With Environmental Sensibility, Diego Duran

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many downtowns in North America have been severed from the rest of the city and from the contextual relationship to their surroundings. Sundered from their context, the ecological characteristics of a site are frequently taken for granted, and the disengagement of its public spaces erodes the downtown's character as well as the urban fabric.

Downtown Clearwater has lost the vitality and vibrancy that once characterized it as a lively district. Because of recent developments in the downtown area, public spaces have been lost between parking lots, high rises and a small number of sporadic residential pockets. Some of the most …

Assessing The Ability Of Soils And Sediment To Adsorb And Retain Cs-137 In Puerto Rico, Warner Ithier-Guzman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As part of the radioactive exercises taking place around the world anthropogenic radionuclides were introduce to Puerto Rico’s terrestrial and aquatic environments beginning in 1962. Two major projects took place in the island, the Rain Forest Project and the construction of a Boiling Superheat Nuclear Power Plant (BONUS). While in operation several accidental shutdowns occurred at the BONUS facility. One of these accidental shutdowns released 582 MBq into the nearby environment. Vieques an island located few miles east of the main island has received anthropogenic inputs of heavy metals resulting from military practices conducted by the US Navy. Due to …

N400 Activations In Adults Who Stutter In A Picture-Word Priming Task Requiring Attention To Probe Word Phonology, Angela A. Pizon-Moore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Objective: A neuroscientific picture-word task was used to investigate semantic and phonological activation spreading in adults who stutter (AWS).

Method: Fourteen AWS and 14 adults who do not stutter (AWNS) participated. On each trial, a picture was named at a delay. Sometimes, an attended probe word was heard before naming. Some probes were Semantically-Related to the labels. Those same probes also appeared following pictures with Unrelated labels. N400 ERPs recorded to these two probe types were compared (Semantically-Related versus Unrelated). Other probes were Phonologically-Related to the labels. Those same probes also appeared following pictures with unrelated labels (P-Unrelated). N400 ERPs …

Characterization Of Unidentified Viruses From Florida, Jessie L. Dyer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Public Health and clinical laboratories occasionally obtain viral isolates that cannot be typed by routine methods. Therefore, the sequence-independent, single primer amplification (SISPA) technique was adapted to rapidly identify and characterize viral isolates of unknown etiology. A panel of known (West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis virus) and unknown viral isolates (environmental samples collected in Florida) were used to develop and refine the SISPA technique. Selectivity for viral genomic sequences was obtained through enriching viral particles by centrifugation, removal of cellular debris by filtration and removal of host genomic material by benzonase application. The SISPA method successfully amplified the …

Perceived Workplace Discrimination As A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Work Environment And Employee Outcomes: Does Minority Status Matter?, Nicole Ellis Jagusztyn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to explore the role of six organizational factors (Equal Employment Opportunity, minority segmentation, diversity climate, instrumental social support, emotional social support, and token status) in the perception of discrimination in the workplace by minorities and majority-group members. Five outcomes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, intention to turnover, physical health, and psychological health) were investigated in response to perceived discrimination. Moderated mediation was used to test hypothesis where perceived discrimination mediated the relationship between organizational antecedents and outcomes; minority status served as the moderators. Support for the mediating role of perceived discrimination was found in …

Literacy And Behavior In Early Childhood: Exploring The Factors That Impact Achievement, Melissa Farino Todd

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Academic achievement has been the focal point in education for decades. In 2001, an Act of Congress was proposed to improve individual outcomes in education through evidenced based research using measurable goals, higher standards, and accountability. This federal legislation, known as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, mandates that all teachers be highly qualified by 2006 and that all students become proficient by the 2013/14 school year, specifically in the area of literacy. Consequently, kindergarten readiness has become an area of concern, thus placing preschool teachers under pressure to prepare children for school. The purpose of this study …

Visionary Of Control: The Efficiency, Expertise, And Exclusion Of Alexander James Inglis, Heidi Tilney Kramer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alexander James Inglis was the key contributor to changes enacted in education during the Progressive era. He instituted an administrative and curricular hierarchy in order to create social organization during a chaotic time in American history, thus advancing professionalism in teaching and systematizing a future workforce - teaching previously had no standards, and throngs of immigrants overwhelmed the school system. While necessary at the time, this system of centralization, homogenization, and sorting continues to result in exclusion in secondary education and middle schools. Categorization is Inglis' hallmark in his work in education, following Frederick W. Taylor's managerial practices, and he …

Identifying And Addressing Health Disparities In Black Older Adults With Osteoarthritis, Chivon A. Mingo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis in older adults, often results in pain, disability and poor psychological well-being. Compared to White adults, Black adults consistently report more pain, more activity limitations, and have different perceptions about OA. Racial disparities also exist in treatments, and prevalence of arthritis. It is imperative to have effective interventions and treatment options for older Blacks. Yet, few arthritis interventions have included Black participants in their samples, and nearly all of those have failed to report separate analyses indicating the effectiveness for Black adults, thus leaving a gap in the literature. The purpose of …

How Does Mobility Change Over Time For Older Adults, And How Are Changes Influenced By Cognitive Functioning?, Melissa Lunsman O'Connor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mobility, which includes life space and driving behaviors, is an important functional domain for older adults (e.g., Webber, Porter, & Menec, in press). Low mobility is associated with sensory, physical, and cognitive deficits (e.g., Anstey, Wood, Lord, & Walker, 2005). However, few studies have investigated how mobility changes over time. This dissertation contains three longitudinal articles that explored mobility changes, with an emphasis on driving and cognition, among community-dwelling older adults.

The first paper investigated patterns of driving self-regulation (i.e., adjustment of driving behaviors) among control-group participants from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study (N=548). …

Upper Elementary Boys’ Participation During Group Singing Activities In Single-Sex And Coeducational Classes, Zadda M. Bazzy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As boys in the upper elementary grades become increasingly influenced by peer pressure, many are less likely to participate in singing activities because singing is considered a "feminine" activity. The purpose of this research was to explore if there was an effect on upper elementary boys' level of participation during group singing activities when they attended music classes in a single-sex setting.

This study employed a true experimental design and a mixed method. Boys (N = 186) were videotaped during their regular coeducational music classes on two occasions to establish baseline data. Then the students were randomly assigned to …

The Relationship Between Life Satisfaction And Substance Use In Adolescence, Leeza Rooks

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Low life satisfaction and substance use in adolescence are causes for concern as each problem is known to be associated with many concurrent and later negative outcomes. To date, only four studies have examined links between these variables in youth. This study added to the literature by examining adolescents' life satisfaction in relation to their frequency of use of a variety of substance types, using an understudied population (i.e., a predominantly Hispanic sample of 130 high school students). Results included significant, inverse bivariate links between adolescent life satisfaction and use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana. When examined simultaneously, adolescents' use …