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The Cumulative Effects Of Victimization, Community Violence, And Household Dysfunction On Depression And Suicide Ideation In A Cohort Of Adolescent Females, Katherine Best

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent scholarly efforts have sought to examine the cumulative impact of deleterious adverse childhood exposures on various mental health outcomes. Lifetime prevalence rates for depressive disorders are approximately 20% among adolescents. Depression is ranked as the leading cause for disability and fourth leading contributor to the global burden of disease in the world.

The purpose of this study was to determine the cumulative impact of adolescent adverse experiences on outcomes of depression, suicide ideation, and overall mental distress in a cohort of 125 adolescent girls receiving public assistance. The adverse exposures studied were personal victimization, household dysfunction, and community violence …

The Channel For Gay America? A Cultural Criticism Of The Logo Channel’S Commercial Success On American Cable Television, Michael Johnson Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Logo currently holds a self-described monopoly as the "Gay Channel for America." Logo stands alone as the single most concentrated national-level vehicle of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered) visibility in the post millennial television era. The Logo Channel has reaped financial rewards from its strategy as a business entity, as LGBT American television viewers embraced its presence as a signifier to America that gays and lesbians have finally "made it".

First, any claim to a monopoly deserves critical attention for its place in mainstream television, for its business practices, and for the power it holds in representing and targeting …

A Cross-Cultural Transformation That Drew Boundaries: Matteo Ricci And His Mapmaking In Ming China, Suet Yee Shery Chanis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the cartographic works of Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), who spent his last twenty-seven years in Ming China. In particular, by focusing on Ricci's 1602 map, I examine the broader significance of Ricci's cartographic production to understand how it reflected early modern Chinese-European exchanges. In addition to the 1602 map, I use Ricci's letters to construct a framework for his cartographic involvement. In his writings, Ricci revealed his rationale for mapmaking and explained his collection of information. Only one year after his entry into China, in 1584, Ricci compiled a world map in the Chinese language and …

A Survey Of Ncaa Division 1 Strength And Conditioning Coaches- Characteristics And Opinions, Jeremy Powers

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The role of the Strength & Conditioning coach (SCC) has increased dramatically in collegiate athletics over the past 30 years. The SCC now spends more time with the athletes than even the individual sport coaches do because of NCAA rules. Despite the importance of the SCC, little is known as to what makes a good SCC and what a typical SCC is like currently. Limited amounts of research have been conducted to determine the characteristics and opinions of this specific population.

The main role of a SCC is to enhance athletic performance of the athletes at a university. They achieve …

Service Utilization Among Bereaved Spouses And Family Caregivers, Elizabeth J. Bergman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For family caregivers, response to the death of the care recipient is marked by a high degree of variability. In recognition of this variability, a range of services and interventions is available to assist individuals in the adjustment to bereavement. The present dissertation, consisting of three related studies, was conducted to examine the utilization of bereavement services by family caregivers.

The first study examined the role of psychological distress in the utilization of bereavement services by spousal caregivers in the Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC) study. The second study examined bereavement service utilization among dementia caregiver participants in the …

Identity, Desire And Spectatorship: An Examination Of Germaine Dulac’S La Coquille Et Le Clergyman, Jennifer A. Melko

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Germaine Dulac's 1928 avant-garde film, La Coquille et le Clergyman, based on a script written by Antonin Artaud, presents the idea of the woman as an object of desire, subjected to the male gaze through the cinematic process. Not only is the lone female character the object of desire of her two male suitors on screen, but she also becomes the object of desire for the presumably male viewer of the film, who has become a silent character in the film. Rather than simply being the spectator, the viewer's own identity becomes entwined with that of the on screen …

Religious Exiles And Emigrants: The Changing Face Of Zoroastrianism, Tara Angelique Migliore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Zoroastrianism was founded by the prophet Zarathushtra ca 1400 to 1200 BCE and is generally acknowledged as the world's oldest monotheistic and revealed religion. It dominated three great Iranian empires, and influenced Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Mahayana Buddhism. At one point in time, their numbers surely seemed limitless. Today, however, roughly 150,000 Zoroastrians are scattered all over the globe in very small numbers. The faith is at a crossroads, and its very existence is threatened.

This is an examination of the decline and subsequent change of this previously influential and vital religion. Zoroastrians have been able to maintain the major …

The Effect Of Multidimensional Information Presentation On The Effectiveness And Efficiency Of A Spatial Accounting Judgment, John K. Tan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study is the first in a series of planned studies on the application of multidimensional visualization of business information and data within the context of accounting. The study's research question is: When is multidimensional visualization of information a better problem representation, improving both the effectiveness and efficiency of a spatial accounting judgment?

To examine when multidimensional visualization can assist auditors in configural cue pattern recognition, the study employs the traditional DuPont analysis as the three pieces of key information to be represented on the X, Y, and Z axes of a single 3-D perspective display. To help determine when …

Two Essays On Multiple Directorships, Chia-Wei Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation includes two related chapters that investigate the value of multiple directorships. In the first chapter, I focus on potential tradeoffs between the costs and benefits of multiple directorships held by outside directors and attempt to determine how firm characteristics affect such tradeoffs. It is widely believed that outside directors of a firm play important functions of monitoring and advising. As a result, the basic hypothesis of the first essay is that multiple directorships by outside directors can have different implications for firms that have different levels of monitoring and advising needs. Consistent with this hypothesis, the evidence suggests …

Relationships Among Language Use, Phonological Skill, And Vocabulary In English Language Learning Preschoolers, Timothy D. Hill

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study present study explored the relationships among language use, phonological skill, and vocabulary development for 36 Cuban and Puerto Rican ELL preschoolers. Family-level variables included mother's education level and mother's language ability. Three-way ANOVAs were used to investigate the relationships among child- and family-level variables and children's performance on articulation (completeness of phonetic inventory (CPI) and proportion of whole-word proximity (PWP)) and language measures (Picture Vocabulary (PV) and Memory for Sentences (MS) subtests of the WLPB-R) in English and Spanish. Regression and correlational analyses were conducted to describe relationships between variables.

Findings indicated that children in all language …

Directed Self-Assembly Of Gold Nanorods Using Surface Modification, David A. Walker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Metallic nanoparticles are unique materials for optical, electronic, catalytic, and sensing applications. Due to the vast flexibility in controlling the surface chemistry of these particles through functionalization there is a great deal of interest in using metallic nanoparticles as building blocks in the development of more complex nanostructures through the use of a 'bottom-up' approach. Using self assembly techniques, one can exploit spontaneous chemical interactions to build complex constructs on the nanometer scale.

Towards this end, gold nanorods have been synthesized and modified with various polymers, inorganic oxides and organic ligands to establish principles for self-assembly of these unique nanomaterials. …

Structural Diversity In Metal-Organic Materials, Gregory J. Mcmanus

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The interest in metal-organic materials namely, coordination polymers and metal-organic frameworks has risen dramatically over the past few years. To a certain extent this interest is a consequence of the realization chemists have discovered how to play a form of molecular Lego® in which metal cations or metal clusters represent the bricks (or nodes) and organic ligands such as 4,4-bipyridine (bipy) or benzene-dicarboxylate represents the glue (or spacers). The "node-and-spacer" approach to self-assembly can be invoked in such a manner that a plethora of infinite architectures and discrete polyhedra can be generated from geometric principles, some of which are unprecedented …

Gardens At Home, Gardens At School: Diet And Food Crop Diversity In Two Q'Eqchi' Communities In Southern Belize, Douglas Carl Reeser

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A district-wide school garden project has been initiated in the Toledo District of Southern Belize in response to reported high rates of poverty and undernutrition. This paper will discuss research conducted in the summer of 2007 with Q'eqchi' Maya in the Toledo District to determine the effect of school gardens on household diet and gardening, the composition of the household diet, and the makeup of homegardens. Food frequency questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were conducted in two rural villages, one with a school garden program and one without. Various members of NGOs working on school garden projects in the district were …

Health Decision Behaviors: Appropriateness Of Dietary Choice, Daryle Hermelin Wane

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dietary choice is a complex mechanism that is influenced by multiple internal and external factors that impact individuals across the life span. The study was designed to examine how individuals make snack food choices based on integration of food motives (cues), appropriateness (nutritional index) as functions of nutritional knowledge, food-related motives, and information processing styles. Community college students participated in a multi part on line survey that ascertained food motives (FCQ), nutrition knowledge (FNQ), information processing (NFC), food pairing task and demographic background data. The single sided Lens model was used to determine the regression weights of the nine food …

Effects Of Supervisor’S Presence On Staff Response To Tactile Prompts And Self-Monitoring In A Group Home Setting, Judy M. Mowery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Staff management research in group home settings has involved direct observation of staff performance during pre-treatment and treatment conditions. Collecting accurate research data is crucial to analyze treatment effects; however, reactivity to being observed has been cited as a limitation in several studies. The current study evaluated the use of a tactile prompt, self-monitoring, and feedback to increase positive interaction in a group home setting. Direct support professional staff were trained on the purpose and use of the MotivAider which provided tactile prompts to remind them to engage in positive client interaction. Reactivity was assessed by having a confederate observe …

Regional Differences In Demographic Characteristics, Professional Practices, And Employment Conditions Of School Psychologists Across The United States, Dama W. Abshier

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The field of school psychology has grown tremendously within the past 100 years, and legislation has played a major role in many changes related to the field. A review of the literature revealed that many studies have been conducted that explored demographic information, professional practices, and employment conditions. The studies tend to be somewhat narrow in focus (e.g., one study may look at demographic characteristics, while another considers only professional practices) and consider state differences rather than regional differences. In accordance with a policy established by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) that a study be conducted every five …

Perceptions Of Programming: Cultivation And Third Person Influences On College Students, Suzette Marie Fisher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There have been many studies conducted on television and its effects. Since the 1950's, when television emerged, there has been an influx of patterns and behaviors associated with television viewing and programming. Many researchers are fascinated with television and the reactions of those who are directly affected by it. People have been known to act out in many ways as a result of something they saw on television. Many believe that television viewing directly affects a person's mind.

An analysis of the results of this qualitative study indicates that college students perceive television has an impact on viewers. Throughout the …

Molecular Mechanism Of Aurora-A Kinase In Human Oncogenesis, Lili He

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Aurora-A is a mitotic kinase, which regulates cell cycle progression through modulating centrosome function. Aurora-A expression is frequently altered in human malignancies. The discrepancy between overexpression and amplification suggests that elevated Aurora-A level is likely to be regulated also by transcriptional and/or translational modifications. In this study, we have demonstrated: 1) transcriptional regulation of Aurora-A by E2F3; 2) feedback regulation between tumor suppressor CHFR and Aurora-A; 3) CNTD2 as a novel Aurora-A partner and oncogene to activate Aurora-A and induce transformation.

Aurora-A expression and activity are cell cycle regulated. The mechanism of Aurora-A upregulation at onset of mitosis is largely …

Improving Staff Performance By Enhancing Staff Training Procedures And Organizational Behavior Management Procedures, Dennis Martin Mcclelland Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ability of direct care staff members to carry out behavior programs, specific protocols written by a behavior analyst, or recommendations made after completion of a functional behavioral assessment is an essential tool needed for such documents to actually be meaningful to patients. Since direct care staff members spend the most time directly working with patients, it is imperative that they carry out intervention procedures with reliability and fidelity. This study evaluated the effectiveness of staff training procedures as well as organizational behavior management techniques used to ensure that staff members are equipped with the tools they need and are …

Psycho-Socio-Cultural Risk Factors For Breech Presentation, Caroline Peterson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Breech Baby Study is a mixed methods study which combines qualitative and quantitative inquiry. This study explores psycho-social-cultural risk factors for breech presentation from an evolutionary perspective. The quantitative component of the study uses Florida birth certificate and Medicaid data sets from 1992-2003 to evaluate the influence of ethnicity and socio-economic status on breech presentation.

Ethnicity and socio-economic status account for less than two percent of the variance of risk factors for breech presentation. The qualitative study includes 114 mothers of breech and cephalic presentation babies who completed the State Trait Personality Inventory and a socio-demographic survey. Of these, …

The Efficacy Of Florida’S Approach To In-Service English Speakers Of Other Languages Teacher Training Programs, Ronald D. Simmons Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Much of how Florida and other states across the country justify the practice of mainstreaming English language learners into regular content classrooms rests on the premise that with the guidance of state officials, local school districts adequately train content teachers to work with English language learners. Yet little to no research exists that can help identify and analyze the overall efficacy of these programs. Consequently, this study has attempted to determine whether district training sessions in Florida are sufficiently covering the state-mandated content areas that teachers are required to learn and to what extent in-service teachers agree or disagree that …

Low Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Performance Degradation, John Andrew Fedock

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to quantify the degradation experienced by a polymer electrolyte fuel cell after storage at subzero temperatures ranging from 0 to -40°C. The performance loss was determined by comparing the polarization and other applicable power curves before and after the subzero storage cycle. The causes of this performance degradation were investigated by the use of Scanning Electron Microscope, Energy Dispersive x-ray Spectroscopy, and porosity scanning technologies. It was found that there are two distinct types of degradation experienced by the membrane. The first type was identified as a variance of the actual voltage - current …

Eutrophication Trend Of Lakes In The Tampa Bay Watershed And The Role Of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation In Buffering Lake Water Phosphorus Concentration, Max Jacobo Moreno Madriñan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Twentieth century human settlement within the Tampa Bay watershed was linked to a dramatic mid-century decline in bay water quality and loss of seagrass acreage. Decades of direct and indirect nutrient discharges to the bay from phosphorus mining, fertilizer manufacturing, and wastewater treatment, as examples, impaired the estuary. In the past twenty years, regional stakeholders have worked to improve the bay water quality by reducing point and non-point source nutrient loading to the bay.

Lakes within the Tampa Bay watershed may play an important role in attenuating the flow of nutrients into the bay. This study hypothesized that between 1990 …

Evaluation Of A Functional Treatment For Binge Eating Associated With Bulimia Nervosa, Tamela Cheri Deweese-Giddings

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Binge-eating disorders are a common problem affecting up to 5 percent of the American population in any given 6-month period. Currently, the most widely accepted treatment is some variation of Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Although there is an abundance of research showing positive effects, the abstinence rates following this type of treatment are currently around 50%. A recent study by Bosch, Miltenberger, Gross, Knudson, and Brower-Breitwieser (2008) explored the effects of extinction on binge-eating behavior that was hypothesized to be maintained by relief from negative emotional responding. The study involved four women who engaged in binge-eating behavior, one of whom met …

Sustainable Control Of Ascaris Lumbricoides (Worms) In A Rural, Disease Endemic And Developing Community: A Systems Approach, Monica Annmarie Gray

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parasitic infections, inadequate sanitation, and poor nutrition represent major etiologies that operate in synergy to cause some of the world's most disabling diseases. Citizens of developing nations, especially children living in rural areas, are the most affected. Current research and subsequent interventions have attempted to solve these issues using vertical interventions aimed at minimizing specific health outcomes. This approach does not consider the interaction among causes and the interrelationship between human beings and their environment. Challenges solved in this manner often fail to produce sustainable results or worse, create new problems.

This project proposed the systems approach framework to address …

Characterization Of The Western Antarctic Peninsula Ecosystem: Environmental Controls On The Zooplankton Community, Marina Marrari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The zooplankton community of Marguerite Bay, western Antarctic Peninsula, was investigated in relation to variability in chlorophyll concentrations and sea ice dynamics, using a combination of satellite remote sensing techniques and plankton net data. SeaWiFS chlorophyll data were validated with concurrent in situ data measured by HPLC and fluoromentric methods, and results indicate that SeaWiFS chlorophyll is an accurate measure of in situ values when HPLC data are used as ground truth.

Climatology data of SeaWiFS chlorophyll west of the Antarctic Peninsula showed that the Bellingshausen Sea and Marguerite Bay usually had higher and more persistent chlorophyll concentrations compared with …

A Stressor-Strain Model Of Organizational Citizenship Behavior And Counterproductive Work Behavior, Kimberly E. O'Brien

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior research has attempted to develop a model of organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) and counterproductive work behaviors (CWB), but limited testing remains a problem. The purpose of the current study is to examine OCB and CWB from a job stressor-strain approach. The sample consisted of 235 employees throughout the United States and their supervisors. Results of the study suggested OCB and CWB are affected by stressors (including interpersonal conflict, low interactional justice, job demands, and organizational constraints). Additionally, trait emotion and attributional styles affect the amount of stressors perceived. The implications as well as limitations of the study are discussed.

Beyond The Barriers: A Qualitative Investigation Into The Experiences Of General Pediatricians Working With Young Children Exhibiting Developmental Delays And Disabilities, Kahlila Genese Mack

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

General pediatricians are typically the first professionals to detect the early developmental concerns of young children during their infant and toddler stages. When concerns are identified by the general pediatrician, best practice encourages the referral of young children for further assessment and/or intervention. Due to these factors, this study focused on the methods general pediatricians use in their efforts to implement the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines for the developmental surveillance and screening of young children. Furthermore, this study focused on the barriers faced by general pediatricians and the solutions they have developed to overcome these barriers in their …

The Social Construction Of A Special Needs Program For Hurricanes, Robert E. Tabler Jr., M.A., C.H.E.S.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The overall purpose of this exploratory study was to comprehend how in the event of a hurricane Hillsborough County, Florida protected its elderly and disabled residents with special medical needs. This study used Social Constructionist Theory as a framework and Grounded Theory methodology in the collection of qualitative data.

To understand stakeholder knowledge and how they constructed the SpNP, three focus groups were conducted, with representatives from agencies on the Planning Committee. Through 30 in-depth, semi-structured interviews, clients of the SpNP, provided insight into their knowledge of the program and how society influenced evacuation decisions. Finally, 10 in-depth, semi-structured interviews …

Remote Monitoring Systems For Substructural Health Monitoring, Jonathan D. Collins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Remote Wireless Monitoring Systems have made a large impact in the area of Structural Health Monitoring. However in the specialized sub-field of Substructural Health Monitoring, remote monitoring techniques have not made as much headway. First, monitoring systems are often retrofitted onto a structure. Therefore it is much harder to retrofit the substructure of a bridge or building. Second, many foundation elements such as driven piles or auger-cast piles are constructed in a way that makes installation difficult or can severely damage the sensing materials.

This thesis presents two case studies of Remote Monitoring Systems for Substructural Health Monitoring applications that …