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An Analysis Of Journey To Work Characteristics In Florida Using Census 2000 Public Use Microdata Sample Data Files, Liren Zhou

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents an overall picture of demographic and socio-economic characteristics as well as journey to work travel behavior characteristics in Florida. In addition, detailed comparisons of journey to work private vehicle occupancy distribution, travel time distribution, mode choice and departure time distribution by household and individual characteristics are also provided based on three data files: American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Samples data file, Summary File 3 Public Use Microdata Samples 1% and Public Use Microdata Samples 5% data files. Utilizing the three data files, this thesis not only investigates current commuting patterns but also provides more reliable information …

The Politics Of Being An Egg “Donor” And Shifting Notions Of Reproductive Freedom, Elizabeth A. Dedrick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) that has been available for over twenty years, the transfer of healthy eggs from a presumably fertile woman into the womb of a woman diagnosed as infertile has become a common part of the landscape of human reproduction in the United States. Yet the general societal acceptance of this practice commonly known as "egg donation" oversimplifies the complex medical, ethical, and societal issues ignited by its use. In light of the limited critical discussions presently occurring about egg transfer, I will interrogate some of the silences and more ambiguous issues invoked by its practice. …

A Comparison Of Exhaled Breath Nitric Oxide Between Old And Young Individuals, Robert L. Gordon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Older individuals suffer from higher rates of pulmonary infections than younger individuals. In addition, older individuals have increased morbidity and mortality due to pulmonary infections when compared to younger individuals. The physiological and immunological reasons for these aforementioned differences are not clear. Recently, non-invasive markers of the lung's physiologic and immunologic status have been recognized. This study employs one of these non-invasive markers, exhaled nitric oxide, in an attempt to determine how the airways may change with age, predisposing older individuals to pulmonary diseases and poorer outcomes as compared to younger individuals.

METHODS: Exhaled nitric oxide measurements were obtained …

Apalachicola’S Gold: Archaeology And History Of Tupelo Honey Production In Northwest Florida, Kelly S. Hockersmith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Several archaeological sites in the lower Apalachicola River Valley have evidence of beekeeping in the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries. At least two of these are also prehistoric sites (Depot Creek, 8Gu56 and Clark Creek, 8Gu60), which are Rangia (clam) shell mounds. Both sites are deep in the river swamp, which has the largest stand of tupelo trees in the world. The valley has a long tradition of beekeeping. Apiarists (beekeepers) would bring their bees by boat to remote locations in the swamps during the short tupelo flowering season to take advantage of the extensive forest. Tupelo honey has …

Identification And Measurement Of Two Factors Affecting The Long-Term Outcomes Of Public Relations Programs: Public Image And Public Trust, Kimberly B. Amendola

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the most current theories surrounding organization-public relationship measurement, which is one approach used to verify the effectiveness of public relations programs. The study attempted to define and test two new factors that may affect organization-public relationships, which are identified as public image and public trust. Existing factors used to test such relationships, such as trust, satisfaction, commitment, and control mutuality, focus on testing the perceptions stakeholders have about an organization based upon their interpersonal relationship with that organization. However, in organizations where the dominant coalition still does not view public relations as …

Significance Of The European Investment Bank, Maria L. Pisaneschi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since the implementation of the Treaty of Rome in 1958, the Common Market of six European states has grown to the European Union of twenty-five states as of May 2004. From the outset, the integration of these states into a single economic system has made more apparent the differences in levels of economic development among and within the member states. The original members of the Common Market were aware of these regional differences in 1958 and created the European Investment Bank as part of the Treaty of Rome to provide investment funds to reduce the development gap among the member …

Level Of Demoralization As A Predictor Of Stage Of Change In Patients With Gastrointestinal And Colorectal Cancer, Cheryl Anne Cockram

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Demoralization is a concept that evolved out of the study of individuals under stress. It is defined as the combination of distress and subjective incompetence in the presence of inadequate social bonds. When patients with alcohol abuse problems are diagnosed with cancer they may become demoralized and be unable to summons adequate resources to address issues associated with changing their addictive behavior. The Stage of Change Model (SOC), one of the primary approaches in addiction therapy, is used to guide individuals through the process of behavioral change.

This two phase study examined the relationship between demoralization and stage of change. …

Ammonia Flux At The Air/Water Interface Of Tampa Bay, Constance Anne Mizak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An ammonia emissions inventory discovered that 90% of the ammonia emitted from Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Polk counties, originated from the latter two counties. This finding is significant and suggests that a substantial portion of the ammonia deposited to Tampa Bay is transported with easterly air masses.

Ammonia and ammonium concentrations at the coastal Gandy Bridge site were seasonally and diurnally consistent, but the rural Sydney site showed greater variability. It was determined that wind direction was the most influential parameter affecting the Gandy Bridge site, which supports the hypothesis that an advection of ammonia from the east is a major …

Detection And Quantification Of Karenia Brevis Blooms On The West Florida Shelf From Remotely Sensed Ocean Color Imagery, Jennifer P. Cannizzaro

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Karenia brevis, a toxic dinoflagellate species that blooms regularly in the Gulf of Mexico, frequently causes widespread ecological and economic damage and can pose a serious threat to human health. Satellite-based ocean color imagery may provide a means for detecting and monitoring blooms, providing early alerts to coastal communities. However, a technique for discriminating K. brevis from other chlorophyll-containing algae is required. Between 1999 and 2001, a large bio-optical data set consisting of spectral measurements of remote-sensing reflectance (Rrs(lambda)), absorption (a(lambda)), and backscattering (bb(lambda)) along with chlorophyll a concentrations was collected on the central west Florida shelf (WFS) as …

Development Of Structural Equations Models Of Statewide Freight Flows, Siva S. Jonnavithula

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The modeling of freight travel demand has gained increasing attention in the recent past due to the importance of efficient and safe freight transportation to regional economic growth. Despite the attention paid to the modeling of freight travel demand, advances in modeling methods and the development of practical tools for forecasting freight flows have been limited. The development of freight demand models that incorporate the behavioral aspects of freight demand face significant hurdles, partially due to the data requirements, which are a consequence of the inherent complexity of the mechanisms driving freight demand. This research attempts to make a contribution …

Risk Factors For Pediatric Community Acquired Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Melissa Gail Kessler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) began as a nosocomial infection due to overuse of antibiotics. Several previous studies have reported an increase in this infection in adult patients who have not been hospitalized. It has also been reported that there is an increase in MRSA in children. Some of these children became infected even though they were not at high risk for the infection. After approval from the All Children's Hospital Institutional Review Board (IRB), a cross sectional study was conducted with pediatric admissions and pediatric emergency room visits to determine the characteristics of Methicillin-Sensitive Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA. During this …

Effects Of Hydrodynamic Regime On Photosynthesis In The Green Alga Caulerpa., Mark D. Driscoll

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The delivery of nutrients to the surface of marine algae can be controlled by the local hydrodynamic regime: in higher flow velocities, the Diffusive Boundary Layer (DBL) at the uptake surface is thinner, which can increase the flux of dissolved chemicals to the algal surface. If the primary productivity of an alga is controlled by the availability of a dissolved chemical, increased water flow should result in greater primary productivity due to increased chemical flux. To test the hypothesis that increased water flow will increase Photosystem II kinematics (PSII) in the green alga Caulerpa we used a Diving Pam Fluorometer …

A Comparison Of Centrifugal Forces To Reduce The Inhibitory Effects Of Food Matrixes On Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction For The Detection Of Food Borne Viruses, Kristina Kim Carter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The CDC estimated that foodborne infections resulted in approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths per year in the United States (Mead, 1999). There are over 200 known diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites, toxins, metals, or prions that can be transmitted through food. Of these illnesses caused by foodborne disease, the CDC estimates that 38.6 million cases are from identifiable pathogens and 30.9 million of these cases are caused by viruses. Hence, approximately 80% of foodborne illnesses of known etiology result from viral transmission (Mead, 1999). Viral gastrointestinal illness may be caused by virus families such as: …

Effects Of Faculty And Peer Mentoring On Perceived Stress And Social Support Of College Student Athletes, Valerie R. Pfister

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mentoring programs often focus on assisting students with the transition to college life and encouraging academic success. This study consisted of a quantitative examination of faculty and peer mentoring and freshmen student athletes' perceived transitional stress and social support. Surveys that provided a numerical value to perceived stress and social support supplied a basis for comparison. In addition, a qualitative element, consisting of personal interviews, was used to assess the quality of the mentoring relationships that developed.

Volunteer mentors were trained on mentoring strategies by the researcher. Sixty-one student-athlete volunteers from the sports of baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, competitive …

Evaluation Of The Prognostic Criteria For Medicare Hospice Eligibility, D Helen Moore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work evaluates Medicare Hospice Benefit (MHB) eligibility standards that are referenced throughout this work as either "Medicare prognostic criteria," or "Local Medical Review Policies." Following the Chapter 1 overview of prognosis in end-stage disease, association between the Medicare clinical predictors and survival outcomes in dementing, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular illnesses are described in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 examines the prognostic belief systems of multidisciplinary hospice personnel. Chapter 4 seeks to improve the predictive performance of the Medicare prognostic criteria for dementia. The fifth and final chapter critiques the Medicare prognostic criteria from conceptual, methodological, and applied perspectives and suggests related …

Development Of An Instrumented Mannequin For Training Of Caregivers In Safe Patient Handling And Movement, Oneida Dugarte Westhoff

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A common problem associated with patient handling is the risk of bodily injury due to acute or cumulative trauma. The objective of this research was to develop an integrated solution, using commercially available components, to help health care providers handle patients in a safe manner. The objective was achieved by retrofitting a mannequin with flex sensors, electrogoniometers, pressure sensors, and photocells. The sensors were capable of quantifying angular displacement, skin pressure distribution and undignified exposure. All of these variables were monitored by a computer-based data acquisition system. The design of this integrated system was implemented using National Instruments LabView software, …

A Learning Approach To Obtain Efficient Testing Strategies In Medical Diagnosis, Saif Fakih

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Determining the most efficient use of diagnostic tests is one of the complex issues facing the medical practitioners. It is generally accepted that excessive use of tests is common practice in medical diagnosis. Many tests are performed even though the incremental knowledge gained does not affect the course of diagnosis. With the soaring cost of healthcare in the US, there is a critical need for cutting costs of diagnostic tests, while achieving a higher level of diagnostic accuracy. Various decision making tools assisting physicians in diagnosis management have been presented to the literature. One such method, called analytical hierarchy process, …

Detection And Quantification Of Karenia Brevis By Carbon Fixation Gene Expression Analysis, Michael Alan, Gray

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Karenia brevis (Davis cf. Hansen & Moestrup = Gymnodinium breve) is the non-peridinin containing dinoflagellate responsible for many harmful algal blooms (red tides) in the Gulf of Mexico. These recurrent blooms can have significant negative ecological, economic, and human health impacts including fish kills, tainting of shellfish, poisoning of marine mammals, loss of tourism revenue due to beach closures, and respiratory distress and food poisoning in humans.

A method for detection of Karenia brevis was developed based upon amplification of the mRNA for the plastid-encoded gene of the carbon fixing enzyme ribulose 1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) large subunit (rbcL). …

The Literacy Practices Of Working Class White Women, Jody Ann Fernandez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is an accepted construct that literacy proficiency is vital to economic success in America. As well, research has shown that home literacy use, especially parental practices, is instrumental in the children's acquisition of literacy skills, and later, proficiency with school literacy tasks. While literacy research abounds regarding family literacy practice, especially that of low-income mothers and children, rarely is the concept of class specifically addressed as separate from race.

The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the reported home literacy practices of nine white working class women residing in a neighborhood in the Southeastern United States. …

Study Of Cu Free Back Contacts To Thin Film Cdte Solar Cells, Vijay Viswanathan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goals of this project are study Cu free back contact alternatives for CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells, and to research dry etching for CdTe surface preparation before contact application. In addition, an attempt has been made to evaluate the stability of some of the contacts researched. The contacts studied in this work include ZnTe/Cu₂Te, Sb₂Te₃, and Ni-P alloys.

The ZnTe/Cu₂Te contact system is studied as basically an extension of the earlier work done on Cu₂Te at USF. RF sputtering from a compound target of ZnTe and Cu₂Te …

Connections Count: Understanding Gender And Race Differences In School-Based Problem Behavior During Adolescence, Raymond C. Santa-Lucia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Utilization of a large, diverse sample provided a rare opportunity to advance our understanding of gender, race, and socioeconomic differences in school-based problem behavior. Yearly assessment of discipline referrals and suspensions received within the school context from 5th- through 11th-grade, as well as assessment of school dropout, provided an opportunity to examine these issues through an extended prospective longitudinal design. Results highlight the middle school transition as a time when discipline referrals and suspensions increase markedly, while student reports of connections to others, motivation, and optimism decline sharply. Results indicate that boys, African-American students, and students from low socioeconomic status …

Effects Of Staffing And Expenditure Variables On After Surgery Patient Safety In Florida Hospitals, Shaila Khuspe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To investigate the association between hospital investment in human resources variables and patient safety, specifically after surgery adverse events in Florida hospitals. We performed the analysis to identify the association of after surgery complication rates with full time equivalent employees (FTEs) per admission and per patient day, expenses per admission and per patient day and, the percent of total operating expense accounted for by payroll expenses.

Design: A cross sectional analysis using inpatient hospital discharge data and financial data from seventy short-term general hospitals, both for-profit and not-for-profit.

Methods: Discharge data from year 2000 was obtained from Agency for …

Mediational Tool Use And Strategic Behaviors During Collaborative Online Reading: A Microgenetic Case Study Of Beginning Students Of German, Sabine Siekmann

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated collaborative online reading from a Sociocultural Theory (SCT) perspective. Building on, yet transcending, research into learning strategies, the research focused on the concepts of mediational tool use, strategic behavior, and patterns of dialogic engagement of college student dyads as they completed a series of three collaborative WebQuests in a beginning German as a Foreign Language (GFL) class.

On-screen actions and verbal interaction of six dyads of beginning GFL students were recorded during three short-term, collaborative WebQuests. Full motion screen recordings were transcribed, and relevant episodes were coded for mediational tool use and strategic behaviors.

All dyads used …

Social And Behavioral Aspect Of Mother’S Health Behaviors And Neonatal Health: Risk Factor Analysis Of Neonatal Septicemia In Urban Slums Of Muntinlupa, Philippines, Chisaki Sato

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Reducing neonatal mortality can contribute to the further reduction of infant mortality rates in international health as it is responsible for about half of the mortality rate for those underfive today. The situation of infant mortality in the Philippines is no exception to this global trend. This study of the social demographic aspects of sepsis neonatorum in the Philippines has explored the conditions of the urban environment, and local cultures related to newborn illnesses and the patterns of health seeking behaviors of urban poor mothers which can affect the survival of newborns. The mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods …

Effects Of Early Acoustic Stimulation On Prepulse Inhibition In Mice, Lisa Tanner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an atypical pattern of early acoustic stimulation on auditory development. Previous human research suggests that the acoustic environment of pre-term human infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) negatively affects some aspects of auditory development. Animal research suggests that premature auditory stimulation interrupts auditory development. Because mice are born before their auditory systems are developed, they make an excellent model for research on fetal and postnatal plasticity of the auditory system. The premature auditory state of newborn mice is similar to that of the NICU pre-term infant, albeit, …

Mediating The Model: Women's Microenterprise And Microcredit In Tobago, West Indies, Cheryl A. Levine

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

From the perspectives of economic anthropology, feminist anthropology, and feminist theory, this applied anthropological study is an evaluation of a popular international development model targeting poor women. Based on the celebrated Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, the so-called "microcredit" model is designed as a poverty alleviation strategy to provide small loans to poor women in rural settings and is designed to facilitate microenterprise development. Due to the popularity of the microcredit model with the international development community, it is being replicated in different settings. Through an analysis of microenterprise development among Afro-Caribbean women, this study presents the argument that successful application …

Frequency Distributions Of Escherichia Coli Subtypes In Various Fecal Sources Over Time And Geographical Space: Application To Bacterial Source Tracking Methods, Matthew A. Anderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bacterial source tracking (BST) methods often involve the use of phenotypic or genotypic fingerprinting techniques to compare indicator bacteria such as Escherichia coli isolated from unknown sources against a library of fingerprints from indicator bacteria found in the feces of various known source animals. The predictive capability of a library is based in part on how well the library isolates reflect the true population diversity of indicator bacteria that can potentially impact a water body. The purpose of this study was to compare the behavior of E. coli population structures in the feces of humans, beef cattle and horses across …

Studies On Antibacterial Activities Of N-Thiolated Β-Lactams And Their Polymeric Nanoparticles Against Mrsa, Jeung-Yeop Shim

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is now the most challenging bacterial pathogen affecting patients in hospitals and in care centers, and has brought on the need to develop new drugs for MRSA. This thesis centers on studies of N-thiolated β-lactams, a new family of potent antibacterial compounds that selectively inhibit the growth of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Chapter 1 describes MRSA in more detail. Chapter 2 outlines experiments on the effect of a fatty ester group (CO₂R) on the C₄-phenyl ring of N-methylthio β-lactams, expecting that attachment of long chain ester moieties might increase the hydrophobicity, …

The Omar Torrijos Regime: Implications For The Democratization Process In Panama, Emma Scribner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since gaining independence from Colombia in 1903, Panama has witnessed both elitist democratic governments and authoritarian populist governments. The oligarchic system in place throughout much of Panama's history was a significant hindrance to real democracy taking hold within the country. Democracy was further set back by the inordinate power exerted by the US presence on the isthmus throughout the twentieth century. Omar Torrijos's time as head of the Panamanian government from 1969 to 1981 exhibited populist, paternalistic and personalistic characteristics. His government marked an attempt to establish a form of government based on popular democracy. While a number of social …

Psychological Factors Associated With Skin Cancer Detection Behaviors In Individuals With A Family History Of Melanoma, Lora M. Azzarello

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current ACS guidelines recommend routine screening for cancer (ACS, 2002). Motivation to adhere to guidelines may be different for individuals with and without a family history of melanoma (Jonna, et al., 1998). Prior research examining the relationship between family history and skin cancer detection behaviors (Berwick et al., 1996; Friedman et al., 1993; Oliveria et al., 1999) have failed to utilize a theoretical framework to derive hypotheses. The purpose of the present study was to examine the utility of Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) in explaining intentions to engage in skin cancer screening (SCS) and skin self-examination (SSE). In addition, the …