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A Three-Dimensional Biophysical Model Of Light, Nutrient, And Grazing Controls On Phytoplankton Competition Affecting Red Tide Maintenance On The West Florida Shel, Scott P. Milroy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A coupled, three-dimensional, time-dependent numerical model of water circulation, spectral light, plankton dynamics, nutrient/CDOM loadings, and zooplankton grazing provided an assessment of the factors affecting the growth and maintenance of red tides on the west Florida shelf (WFS). The coupled biophysical model consisted of state variable quantities for temperature, salinity, horizontal/vertical velocity components, turbulent diffusion, spectral light, colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), dissolved organic and inorganic carbon, particulate silica, four dissolved inorganic nutrient pools (nitrate, ammonium, phosphate, and silicate), and four phytoplankton groups (diatoms, microflagellates, non-toxic dinoflagellates, and the red tide organism Karenia brevis).

The model also included a complex …

Depressive Symptomatology, Patient-Provider Communication, And Patient Satisfaction: A Multilevel Analysis, Lorraine Marie Novosel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Depression can be a profoundly disabling and costly disorder and is a major public health concern. Despite the efficacy of treatment options, it is often unrecognized, under-diagnosed, and inadequately treated in primary care settings. Research on patient-provider communication supports the connection among the quality of the patient-provider interaction, patient behavior, and health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to systematically examine the impact of patients' depressive symptoms on the patient-provider relationship, patient-provider communication, and patient satisfaction with the primary care office visit. One hundred twenty three patient-provider encounters were audiotaped and coded using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS). …

The Impact Of Fidelity And Innovations On Healthy Families America Programs, Ashley E. Nixon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fidelity to a program model and innovations added to the program model have been found to positively impact large scale program expansion and implementation (Blakely et al., 1987). Research examining the effectiveness of Healthy Families America (HFA) programs has been hindered by the differences that exist among HFA programs. This study examines the impact program fidelity and innovations have on outcome measures of updated immunizations, primary medical care providers, and participant retention for 102 HFA sites. Factor analysis and regression were used to analyze archival data. Results indicate that fidelity was positively related to percentage of participants with updated immunizations …

Forging Identities Through Style: Elite Interaction And Identity Formation At Late Classic (Ad 650-900) Palmarejo, Northwest Honduras, Claire Novotny

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The representation of social affiliation is dependent upon material signifiers that can serve as communicative links between individuals or communities. This study evaluates the material manifestation of an elite social identity during the Late Classic (AD 650-900) period at the site of Palmarejo, northwest Honduras. Previous studies on social identity in prehistory point to the importance of site plans, monumental architecture, ceramics, and human burials in conveying sociocultural messages. A regional comparison of these types of data is made between Palmarejo and three coeval sites in northwest Honduras, La Sierra, El Coyote, and Las Canoas. I argue that the chosen …

High School Social Studies Teachers' Attitudes Towards The Inclusion Of Ell Students In Mainstream Classes, Jason L. O'Brien

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of high school social studies teachers who had English Language Learners (ELL) mainstreamed in their social studies classes. In the school district in which the study took place, approximately 70% (n=240) of the high school social studies teachers had ELL students in their classrooms. For the quantitative portion of the survey, 344 surveys were given to each social studies department chairperson in the county to be completed by all the teachers who currently had ELL students in their social studies classroom. For the qualitative portion of the study, eight high …

Comparison Of Two Treatments For Finger Tip Amputation: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Karen Olson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To compare the costs and length of disability for conservative treatment versus skin grafting of distal finger and thumb tip amputations. Methods: Thirty-five zone I finger or thumb tip amputations in thirty-five workers in the Southeastern United States were included in this study. Twenty-four were treated with conservative treatment (bandaging to protect the wound). Eleven were treated with skin grafting. The total cost of medical care, total cost including wage replacement, and the length of disability were compared between the two groups. Impairment at the end of treatment was considered. Results: Even when the cost of wage replacement was …

Back Massage: Long Term Effects And Dosage Determination For Persons With Pre-Hypertension And Hypertension, Christine M. Olney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Significance: Complementary and alternative therapies (CAM) are widely used however the efficacy of many CAM therapies for specific diseases has yet to be verified. Massage therapy, specifically back massage, used to assist in the management of elevated blood pressure is one such unverified therapy. A pilot study completed in 2002 resulted in significant changes in blood pressure using a repeated application of the 10 minute back massage. Research Aims: This study, evolving from a psychophysiology framework, aimed to determine the long term efficacy of a back massage treatment and possible dosage needed to effectively assist in the management of elevated …

Key Stakeholder Perceptions Of The Expulsion Process For High School Students Identified As Emotionally Disturbed, Suzanne R. O'Neill

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how the expulsion process works for seven male ninth grade students identified as emotionally disturbed and in particular, the perceptions students, their parents, five district representatives, and five high school administrators involved in an expulsion have of the process. Furthermore, the study investigated through in-depth interviews possible differences in perceptions between those students who are expelled, parents, and key education personnel involved in expulsion decisions. Computer-based qualitative data analysis software was used to organize and analyze the collected data. Results of the study indicate that the two primary key stakeholder participants; students and their parents, shared predominately …

Community College Transfer Students’ Experiences Of The Adjustment Process To A Four Year Institution: A Qualitative Analysis, Karen R. Owens

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Today's mobile student population follows diverse paths. This research presents findings from a qualitative study investigating the perceptions of transfer students while they were actively engaged in the transfer process. Fifty-seven incoming community college transfer students (n=57) were interviewed, in a large metropolitan area, through e-journaling during fall 2006 (while students were still attending community colleges) and during spring 2007 (students' first semester of admission to the university).

The following research questions guided the study: What do transfer students perceive as a successful transfer process? From the transfer student's perspective, what supports are needed to accommodate a successful transfer process? …

An Exploration Of Three Residence Hall Types And The Academic And Social Integration Of First Year Students, Dorothy E. Paine

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Living on campus has long been an important part of many students' collegiate experience. Most research describing the benefits of living on campus was conducted in the 1960s and 1970s and was based upon students living in double rooms on double loaded corridors with community bathrooms. In recent years, the style of residence hall buildings has changed from these traditional rooms to suite and apartment-style housing offering more privacy and greater amenities to students. This study sought to examine how first year students living in three different types of residence hall environments differ on measures of social and academic integration, …

Perceptions Of Florida School Library Media Specialists Relative To The Saliency Of Collaboration, Leadership, And Technology Tasks Outlined In Information Power: Changes Since 1996, Terrell M. Pace

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 1988 Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs (IP1) was published. Ten years later an updated version, Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning (IP2) was released. The purpose of this study was to determine if school library media specialists' perceptions had changed since 1996 and if respondents' familiarity with IP2 was a factor in the development of those perceptions. Further, 37 items that were clustered based on the three primary threads of collaboration, leadership and technology developed in IP2 were used to assess changes in perceptions. An electronic survey was developed and disseminated to the population of school …

Akt Function And Human Oncogenesis, Sungman Park

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Accumulated evidence indicates that, by the phosphorylation of its physiological substrates, Akt promotes cell survival, proliferation and angiogenesis. While a number of Akt targets have been identified, the mechanism by which Akt regulates cell survival and growth and induces malignant transformation still remains elusive. During the last 5 years, I have shown that AKT1 cross-talks with Src/Stat3 pathway. AKT1 is a direct target gene of Stat3. Protein/mRNA levels and promoter activity of AKT1 are significantly induced by constitutively active Src and Stat3. Knockdown of Stat3 or dominant-negative Stat3 reduced AKT1 expression induced by constitutively active Src. Blockage of AKT1 expression …

Just Regular Folks: An Ethnographic Study Of Identity In A Gay And Lesbian Catholic Community In South Florida, Shawn M. Perkins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Much of the research done on religious gays and lesbians has focused upon the cognitive strategies they employ in order to negotiate conflicts experienced between their religious and sexual identities. In contrast to taking a psychological approach, this study focuses upon the role of social context in helping gay and lesbian Catholics to successfully negotiate their religious and sexual identities. Using participant-observation data of a small gay and lesbian Catholic community, the Holy Cross Community (HCC), as well as from interviews with ten of its members, I examine the role of the interpersonal context in identity processes. I outline the …

Documenting Dylan: How The Documentary Film Functions For Bob Dylan Fans, Theodore G. Petersen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore the role of the documentary film in the relationship between the artist and the fan; specifically how Bob Dylan fans use the documentary films Dont Look Back, directed by D.A. Pennebaker, and No Direction Home, directed by Martin Scorsese. Dylan, Pennebaker, and Scorsese are three important figures in American popular culture, and these are the two most prominent films about Dylan. These films discuss relatively the same time period, yet delineate two different versions of Dylan's identity. Dont Look Back, released in 1967, documents Dylan's 1965 tour of England. Because of Pennebaker's …

Third Grade Retention And Florida’S Pupil Progression Plan: Individual And School Characteristics Associated With Long-Term Outcomes In Reading Performance, Heather A. Powell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Literacy is a growing national concern that has resulted in federal legislation (e.g., the No Child Left Behind Act) instituting higher accountability for states and schools with regard to reading instruction and remediation. As a result, Florida's statewide measure of achievement, the reading portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT-Reading) is now tied to retention decisions for students in the third grade as part of the pupil progression plan for the state. In its first year of implementation (2003), 23% of third-grade students failed the FCAT and over 28,000 were retained. Though failure rates are decreasing, (i.e., 6% of …

Perception Of Educational Experiences By At-Risk African-American Students In An Undergraduate Teacher Education Program, Sharman Pride-Mcrae

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore individual perceptions of African-American at-risk students in an undergraduate teacher education program, specifically continuing students or community college transfer students in a four-year urban university College of Education (COE) program. Specific areas of interest included: (a) demographic characteristics profiling the study participants; (b) emotional and motivational factors as they affected the students; and (c) the personal thoughts and effect of institutional and environmental variables and administrative factors. Ten females volunteered to participate in a semi-structured interview. The 22 semi-structured interview questions were developed by the researcher. The questions captured the individual personal …

An Existential-Phenomenological Investigation Of Self-Cutting Among Adolescent Girls, Amanda A. Privé

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the experience of self-cutting, what stops adolescent girls from engaging in self-cutting, and what message adolescent girls who are self-cutting would want to send to other girls taking part in this behavior. Using an existential-phenomenological method of interviewing, adolescent girls were asked a serious of questions in order to gain insight into their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about the experience of self-cutting. Each interview was tape recorded, transcribed, and thematized. The participants in this study were labeled co-researchers due to the significant role that they had in the completion of this study. The co-researchers consisted of …

The Impact Of Organizational Climate Variables Of Perceived Organizational Support, Workplace Isolation, And Ethical Climate On Salesperson Psychological And Behavioral Work Outcomes, Robert J. Riggle

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to build and test a model that integrates the marketing, management, and psychological literature with respect to organizational climate variables and their direct and indirect impact on salesperson psychological and behavioral outcomes, as well as one that answers the overarching research question of how organizational climate variables impact salesperson psychological and behavioral work outcomes. Data were collected during the time period from April 2006 until May 2006. Three hundred survey invitations were sent via e-mail to salespeople at three organizations. The participating organizations included a privately owned publishing firm located in the southeastern United …

Determinants Of Female Labor Force Participation In Venezuela: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Betilde Rincon De Munoz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to fill the gap in research about women in Venezuela by investigating the determinants of their labor force participation between 1995 and 1998. The Central Office of Statistics and Information in Venezuela provides cross-sectional data collected semiannually about individual, demographic, socio-economic and geographical characteristics of individuals living in Venezuela during this period. This study uses binomial and multinomial logit models to test a number of hypotheses. First, the full sample of women between 15 and 60 years old is used to investigate the importance of individual, demographic, socioeconomic, and geographical characteristics in the labor …

An Experimental Study Of Pro-Dieting And Anti-Dieting Psychoeducational Messages: Effects On Immediate And Short-Term Psychological Functioning And Weight Control Practices In College Women, Megan Roehrig

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While dieting is relatively normative in our society, it is controversial within the fields of eating disorders and obesity. Dieting for weight loss has been touted by the obesity prevention field as a solution to the growing obesity epidemic, yet a body of research in the eating disorders field has also implicated it in the etiology and maintenance of eating pathology. Thus, a divergence in approaches toward dieting has emerged, with both prodieting and anti-dieting messages being recommended. Little is known, however, about the impact of these two types of messages on immediate and short-term psychological functioning and weight control …

The Art Of Existentialism: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Norman Mailer And The American Existential Tradition, J'Aimã© L. Sanders

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of my research is to examine the philosophic influences on three literary works: F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Ernest Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon, and Norman Mailer's An American Dream. Through an investigation of biographical, historical, cultural, and textual evidence, I will argue for the influence of several European philosophers---Friedrich Nietzsche, Søren Kierkegaard, and Martin Heidegger---on these authors and on the structures and messages of their works. I will discuss how the specific works I have selected not only reveal each author's apt understanding of the existential-philosophical crises facing the individual in the twentieth century, but also …

Perceptions Of Senior Faculty Concerning Doctoral Student Preparation For Faculty Roles, Jennifer M. Purcell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Calls for reform in doctoral education are not new. However, the past decade has experienced renewed interest and discussion in preparing the future professoriate. Whereas most studies of graduate student socialization and preparation for faculty roles have focused on doctoral students or new faculty, this study examined the perceptions of senior faculty members involved in doctoral education. All senior faculty (n=4970) in biological sciences, English, mathematics, and non-clinical psychology from a stratified sample of 69 research universities nationwide were invited to participate. More than 1150 faculty completed a web-based survey. Respondents rated the importance of 18 competencies (based on a …

The Assimilation Of The Marvelous Other: Reading Christoph Weiditz’S Trachtenbuch (1529) As An Ethnographic Document, Andrea Mckenzie Satterfield

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the watercolor drawings of indigenous Americans in the Trachtenbuch, a small sixteenth-century manuscript by Christoph Weiditz. The manuscript was titled as a trachtenbuch by the Germanisches National Museum Library when cataloged in 1868, and Theodor Hampe published the first facsimile under this title in 1927. As this title suggests, the manuscript has long been narrowly defined and examined by scholars as a costume book. I argue instead for broadening the reading of the Trachtenbuch from a costume book, a subset of ethnographic documents that identify individuals based solely on systems of dress, to a visual ethnographic collection, …

Reconstructing The Past: Heritage Research And Preservation Activities In Tampa Bay Communities, Courtney Ross Spillane

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There are numerous ways in which cultural heritage can be preserved, such as: physical museums, virtual museums, tours of historic homes, and community meetings. For this project, I participated in and observed heritage preservation activities in two very different communities--- Sulphur Springs and Seminole Heights in Tampa, Florida. My internship appointment was with OSHNA (Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association) under the direction of Dr. Steve Gluckman. My primary focus was assisting heritage preservation committee members in each of the two communities with heritage preservation projects specific to their community needs and interests. One project is the development of a heritage …

The Impact Of Management’S Tone On The Perception Of Management’S Credibility In Forecasting, Robert D. Slater

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of management altering its tone in communications on participants' perceptions of management credibility. Management's tone in communicating with participants was manipulated using communications from management under two treatment conditions. In period one of the study management's tone was manipulated within the management statement on internal controls as required by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board's (PCAOB) Auditing Standards No. 2. In period one, participants had no knowledge of management's prior forecasting accuracy. Consistent with predicted hypotheses, the findings reveal that management can increase its credibility with participants by communicating its …

The Communicative Two-Way Pre-Writing Task Performed Via Asynchronous And Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication And Its Influence On The Writing Expertise Development Of Adult English Language Learners: A Mixed Design Study, Iona Sarieva

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses a gap in the second language writing research through examining processes occurring during the pre-writing and drafting stages of adult second language learners' writing when computer-mediated communication (CMC) pre-writing activities are involved. The theoretical framework adopted in the study is Writing-as-process approach with a focus being the pre-writing and drafting stages of the writing process. The design of the study is a parallel component mixed method design with an ongoing dominant qualitative stage and a nested less-dominant quantitative stage. In the qualitative stage of the project, two case studies were conducted: a group case study of the …

Scissors Paper Rock, Barbara St. Clair

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Scissors Paper Rock is based on the true story of Amy Biel, a young and idealistic American woman who went to South Africa to support the political effort against Apartheid. She worked there as a volunteer organizer during a time of great political turmoil, and was days away from returning home to the United States, when she was violently killed in a riot. While Amy's death was not an accident--four men were found guilty for taking her life--it is certainly possible to think of her death as a tragedy. Amy's idealism and belief in her power to do good, allowed …

Crystal Engineering Of Co-Crystals And Their Relevance To Pharmaceutical Forms, Tanise R. Shattock

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The research presented herein focus upon crystal engineering of co-crystals with an emphasis upon the exploration of co-crystals in the context of delineation of the reliability of hydrogen bonded supramolecular synthons and their hierarchies. The approach involves a combination of systematic Cambridge Structural Database analysis and a series of model co-crystal experiments. In addition, the viability of solid state methodologies toward supramolecular synthesis of co-crystals and the effect on polymorphism is also addressed. The application of the acquired knowledge is towards the crystal engineering of pharmaceutical co-crystals. The rational design and synthesis of pharmaceutical co-crystals accomplished by the selection of …

Src Kinase Inhibitors For The Treatment Of Sarcomas: Cellular And Molecular Mechanisms Of Action, Audrey Cathryn Shor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sarcomas are rare mesenchymally-derived tumors with limited treatment options. Tyrosine kinases may serve as potential targets for sarcoma therapy because many are mutated or overexpressed in sarcomas and cell lines. One potential molecular target for sarcoma treatment is the Src tyrosine kinase. Three independently synthesized Src kinase inhibitors were evaluated in human sarcoma cell lines. Of the three, dasatinib, provided promising results as a potential sarcoma therapy. Until this study, dasatinib activity had not been characterized in sarcoma cells. Based on our previous findings of Src activation in human sarcomas, we evaluated the effects of dasatinib in twelve sarcoma cell …

How Do Proficient Intermediate Grade Writers Percieve Writing In School?, Tammy Weiss Schimmel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine students' perspectives of writing instruction to gain insights into their awareness of the impact of high-stakes writing assessments on instructional practices and teaching strategies. Students in grades four and five who attended the 2004 Suncoast Young Author's Celebration (SYAC) served as the sample for this study. Data were gathered through surveys and interviews with 20 students who attended the SYAC. Survey questions were used to obtain general information about the students' perceptions of writing instruction and assessment. Interviews were conducted to gain a richer understanding of their perceptions of classroom experiences.The participants …