Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between Teaching Experience And Style And Primary Student Gains In Mathematics Using An Integrated Learning System, Marilyn N. Meub

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to ascertain using multiple tools and methods, the impact of teachers' interaction with primary students on mathematics performance using the Successmaker Integrated Learning System to determine effective teacher practices. The sample of nineteen primary teachers from an elementary school in southwest Florida included five first grade teachers, seven second grade teachers, and seven third grade teachers.

Data analysis included total years of teaching experience, years of experience in Florida schools, and years of experience at each grade. Both the total years of teaching and the years of teaching at the research site …

Sexual Functioning In Breast Cancer Survivors, Heidi M. King

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer diagnosis and treatment has been suggested to effect sexual functioning. Little is known about how breast cancer patients compare to women without a history of cancer on measures of sexual functioning, as well as the psychological and physical factors may contribute to these difficulties. To address these issues, 71 breast cancer patients and 40 of their nominated friends were recruited and served as participants. All women received and returned via the mail measures on general background information, depression, fatigue, marital satisfaction, body image, vaginal symptoms, and sexual functioning. All the psychological and physical variables assessed correlated with a …

Stress And Cognitive Performance In Older Adults, Christopher B. Rosnick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current dissertation sought to examine stress in three different, but overlapping, ways. The first study examined how self-reported negative life events, in the aggregate and individually, are associated with cognitive performance. The results suggested that there was no significant relationship between the aggregate measures of self-reported negative life events and cognitive performance. On the other hand, several individual negative life events were associated with cognitive functioning. The findings support previous research indicating that using estimates of individual stressors rather than aggregate measures of stressors increases the predictive validity of stress measurement.

The second study assessed the cross-sectional and longitudinal …

Zooplankton Of The West Florida Shelf: Relationships With Karenia Brevis Blooms, Kristen M. Lester

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis are common on the West Florida Shelf (WFS), yet little is known of the relationships between zooplankton and K. brevis. A comprehensive analysis was undertaken to examine 1) perturbations in zooplankton community composition within K. brevis blooms 2) the contribution of zooplankton ammonium and phosphate excretion to K. brevis bloom nutrient requirements, and 3) the role of zooplankton grazing in K. brevis bloom termination. Prior to undertaking the first portion of the study, an examination of the perturbations in the normal zooplankton assemblage within K. brevis blooms, it was first necessary to …

Mental Health Policy And Services In Tampa, Florida, Shelly Yankovskyy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During the summer of 2004 I interned with the Mental Health Association of Greater Tampa Bay (MHA), a local affiliate of the National Mental Health Association. My time spent with the MHA became a gateway into the world of mental health. In the course of fulfilling my duties, I developed a particular interest in understanding the services that are available to persons, especially adults seeking treatment/services for mental illness. Through the MHA I was introduced to a wide range of people who have some link to mental health services, including psychiatrists, therapists, policy makers, and lawyers. This thesis utilizes an …

A Vascular Plant Inventory And Description Of The Twelve Plant Community Types Found In The University Of South Florida Ecological Research Area, Hillsborough County, Florida, Anne Candace Schmidt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The University of South Florida Ecological Research Area (USF Eco Area), located in west central Hillsborough County, is an approximately 306 hectare (756 acre) natural area on the Hillsborough River composed of twelve plant communities. While surrounded on three sides by urbanization, the USF Eco Area makes up the western most section of an extended natural corridor that runs approximately 88 kilometers (55 miles) east and north along the Hillsborough River. An inventory of the vascular flora and the associated ecological communities was developed to better assess the USF Eco Area for educational and research purposes as well as enhance …

Characterizing Sound Production In Nearshore Rockfishes (Sebastes Spp.), Bryan Nichols

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rockfishes of the genus Sebastes are trophically important in most nearshore environments of the west coast of North America, and support important commercial and recreational fisheries. Though the 72 northeast Pacific species have drumming muscles along their swim bladders, little is known about sound production in the genus. Sounds produced by nearshore rockfish were recorded using fixed hydrophones and underwater video in aquaria, and acoustical dataloggers in the field. Sounds were analyzed from six species: Sebastes nebulosus, S. atrovirens, S.carnatus, S. chrysomelas, S. caurinus, and S.maliger. These six species are closely related, mostly bottom …

Reliability Of Liquid Core Optical Waveguides For Sensitive Optical Absorption Measurements Of Trace Species In Water, Avishekh Pal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Long path optical waveguides can be used in optical absorption measurements to increase the optical path length and, thus, the overall absorption of a sample. Recently, 1m long coiled Liquid Waveguide Capillary Cells (LWCC) have been used by analytical spectroscopists to measure the absorption strength of weakly absorbing liquids. However, most of these measurements have used conventional light sources such as Xenon or Halogen lamps and not spectroscopic laser sources.

In this thesis study, we used a LWCC absorption waveguide and a laser light source to measure, for the first time to our knowledge, the optical transmission through several water …

Expanding The Science Of Successful Aging: Older Adults Living In Continuing Care Retirement Communities (Ccrcs), Kathryn H. Petrossi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rowe and Kahns theory of successful aging identifies three main components of aging successfully: reducing the risk of disease and disability, maintaining high cognitive and physical function, and engagement with life. While there is compelling evidence that suggests the legitimacy of this concept in the 50-75 year old community dwelling population, three areas of expansion are necessary: 1.) programmatic research; 2.) extending the existing research samples to include older samples and those living in continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs); and 3.) the integration of data collection and analysis to move beyond investigation of just one successful aging outcome to include …

A Quantitative Assessment Of Public Relations Practitioners’ Perceptions Of Their Relationship With The Organization They Represent, Jill Boudreaux

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study attempts to identify how public relations practitioner roles and organizational decision-making style impact the relationship that is shared between the practitioner and the organization they represent. Based on Internet survey research methods, research findings indicated that organizational decision-making style was a minimal factor in influencing the relationship shared between the practitioner and the organization they represent. Practitioner role did, however, have a significant influence on the levels of trust, commitment, satisfaction and control mutuality between the practitioner and the organization they represent. Low response rates prevents confident generalization of the results of this study to the entire Public …

Changes In The Perception And Sense Of Self Of Individuals With Aphasia: An Ethnographic Study, Erline Vieira Nakano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about the perceived changes in identity and sense of self in individuals with aphasia. Seminal research using qualitative methods and personal narratives has been conducted in England regarding the experience of living with aphasia (see for instance Parr, Byng, Gilpin & Ireland, 1999; Parr, Duchan & Pound, 2003; Byng, Pound & Hewitt, 2004), but the use of such methodologies is still emergent in the United States. In addition, despite the great achievements of the disabilities movement in countries such as the U.S. and the U.K., individuals with aphasia have remained largely at the margins due to the …

Tardigrade Evolution And Ecology, Phillip Brent Nichols

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A character data set suitable for cladistic analysis of tardigrades at the family level was developed. The data matrix consisted of 50 morphological characters from 15 families of tardigrades and was analyzed by maximum parsimony. Kinorhynchs, loriciferans and gastrotrichs were used as outgroups. The results agree with the currently accepted hypothesis that Eutardigrada and Heterotardigrada are distinct monophyletic groups. Among the eutardigrades, Eoyhypsibiidae was found to be a sister group to Macrobiotidae + Hypsibiidae, while Milnesiidae was the basal eutardigrade family. The basal heterotardigrade family was found to be Oreellidae. Echiniscoideans grouped with some traditional Arthrotardigrada (Renaudarctidae, Coronarctidae + Batillipedidae) …

Wavelet-Based Monitoring And Analysis Of Cardiorespiratory Response To Hypoxia, Vuslat Nazilli

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Obstructive sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening condition characterized by repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction that occur during sleep, usually associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation. In US population, 9% of women, 24% of men, and 2% of children have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, suggesting that 18 million people may suffer from the consequences of nightly episodes of apnea. One of the most significant symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea is profound and repeated hypoxia. The analysis of the interaction between cardiovascular and respiratory signals has been a widely-explored area of research due to the significance …

Where The Students Do The Grading: A Content Analysis Of Ratemyprofessors.Com, Mlisa A. Manning

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

"I would have been better off using the tuition money to heat my apartment last winter."

"Three of my friends got As in his class and my friends are dumb."

"The movies are so bad, even he has to leave the room."

These are just a few of the "Funny Ratings" from a page on RateMyProfessors.com, a web site dedicated to providing information to students so they may make a difference in (their) education (http://www.RateMyProfessors.com/ faq.jsp). The online evaluations differ in origin, use and content from traditional teaching evaluations as they are the result of a virtual atmosphere …

Investigation Of Geometrical Effects On Microneedle Geometry For Transdermal Applications, Smitha Shetty

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hollow biocompatible microneedle arrays were designed and fabricated using two different bulk micromachining techniques-Deep Reactive Ion Etching and Coherent Porous Silicon technology to investigate their reliability for transdermal applications. An in-house experimental setup was developed for microneedle fracture and split thickness penetration force measurements. Out of plane needle array configurations (100and#956;m needle length) with intra array geometric variations including needle shape, diameter, intra-array pitch and density (1a 625) were characterized on cadaver skin to predict skin barrier penetration without fracture. Use of microneedle array as transdermal patch necessitates reliable penetration and not just pushing against stratum corneum like a bed …

Material Properties And Volumetric Porosity Of Biomaterials For Use In Hard Tissue Replacement, Christopher G. Papangelou

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Metal implants are a type of hard tissue replacement currently used. Metals used for implants include: stainless steel, titanium, chrome, and cobalt alloys. Such implants often fail at the interface with bone. Metal implants fail when the surface of the implant is coated with an osteoconductive material. An osteoconductive material provides scaffolding for cellular migration, cellular attachment, and cellular distribution. A reason for metal implant failure could be the vastly different material properties than bone. Motivation for the research was to find a suitable bone substitute other than metal. Materials considered were: zirconia toughened alumina, carbon fiber reinforced epoxy, and …

A Framework To Develop An Interactive Web Database For Delivery Of Water Resources Field Data Over The Internet, Swarna Pujari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the research is to develop a user friendly framework for an internet GIS (Geographic Information Systems) application. The study aims at providing a map with GIS capabilities without requiring the clients (users of the website) having to install ArcGIS (a product of ESRI) software on their personal computers along with the facility to download hydrological data. It also aims at providing a methodology to synthesize data in case of data gaps. High resolution data was collected in a small watershed in west Central Florida to measure hydrologic storages and fluxes during 2001-2004. Meteorological, surface and groundwater data …

Dose Time Response Modeling Of Neurobehavioral Screening Data: Application Of Physiologically Relevant Parameters To Allow For Dose Dependent Time Of Peak Effects, Michael Raymond Wessel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In collaboration with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the University of South Florida Health Risk Methodology Group has developed dose-time-response models to characterize neurobehavioral response to chemical exposure. The application of dose-time-response models to neurobehavioral screening tests on laboratory animals allows for benchmark dose estimation to establish exposure limits in environmental risk assessment. This thesis has advanced dose-time-response modeling by generalizing a published toxico diffusion model to allow for dose dependent time of peak effects. To accomplish this, a biphasic model was developed which adopted the effect compartment model paradigm used in pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics to estimate a distributional rate …

Reconstructing Writer Identities, Student Identities, Teacher Identities, And Gender Identities: Chinese Graduate Students In America, Peiling Zhao

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The increasing presence of Chinese international graduate students in American higher education has mandated a closer examination of their multifaceted lives against stereotypes that hinder their efforts to find, transform, or assert their identities in the dominant discourses of American academia and culture.

Cross cultural studies of Chinese international students tend to reinforce stereotypes of their writer identities, learner identities, and teacher identities. Examining these various identities discloses dichotomies that read Chinese students’ traits and behaviors as handicaps and thus characterize them as “abnormal” in relation to the “normal” traits and behaviors of Chinese students’ Western counterparts. Whereas Western student …

A Design Methodology For Implementation Of Serial Peripheral Interface Using Vhdl, Jyothsna Kurapati

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, an approach is proposed for the design and implementation of a serial peripheral interface using Complex Programmable Logic Devices, (CPLD's). The focus of this research was to develop an effective Serial Peripheral Interface. The Serial Peripheral Interface, (SPI), created by Motorola is also known as Microwire, which is a trademark of National Semiconductor. The SPI is a full-duplex, synchronous, serial data link that enables communication between a host processor and peripherals.

The Serial peripheral interface can be programmed in software or built strictly in hardware inside a microcontroller. However, Complex programmable logic devices offer a quicker and …

Self-Schema And Social Comparison Explanations Of Body Dissatisfaction, Patricia Van Den Berg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study was an investigation of the self-schema and social comparison theories of the development of body dissatisfaction. Social comparison stimuli, consisting of photographs of women, were piloted and selected to form 3 stimuli sets: upward comparison, downward comparison, and no comparison. A priming manipulation consisting of an imagery exercise intended to prime participants appearance self-schema was also piloted. Participants completed state measures of body image and mood at pretest, were given the priming manipulation and the social comparison stimuli, then completed posttest measures of mood and body image, as well as providing demographic information. Results indicated no significant …

Processing, Reliability And Integration Issues In Chemical Mechanical Planarization, Parshuram B. Zantye

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Global planarization is one of the major demands of the semiconductor industry. Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is the planarization method of choice use to achieve the required stringent tolerances essential for successful fabrication of next generation Integrated Circuits (IC). The predominant reason for CMP defects is the shear and normal stresses during polishing to which the material is subjected. Understanding the process of CMP and factor that contribute to overall stress addition during polishing requires an approach that encompasses all the four major categories of variables, namely: a) machine parameters, b) material properties, c) polishing pad characteristics, and d) polishing …

The Role Of Choice Versus Preference: An Analysis Of Why Choice Interventions Work, John D. Adelinis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has shown that providing students with the opportunity to choose the type of academic assignment could reduce a variety of problem behavior. However, procedural limitations of previous research prevent definitive conclusions regarding the mechanism by which choice interventions effect behavioral change. Furthermore, because research related to choice interventions has been limited primarily to children with developmental and emotional disabilities, the generality of such interventions is unclear. Therefore, the current study set out to extend the efforts of previous researchers by attempting to further isolate the mechanism by which choice procedures produce improved behavioral performance and attempted to further …

Strain, Personality Traits, And Deviance Among Adolescents: Moderating Factors, Jennifer J. Wareham

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

General strain theory has received a fair amount of empirical support and theoretical elaboration over the past several years. Since the introduction of general strain theory, Agnew and others have attempted to increase the comprehensiveness of the processes involved in strain theory. Until recently, the general strain theory literature has ignored what Agnew and associates (Agnew, Brezina, Wright, & Cullen, 2002) argue may be one of the most important conditioning effects of the strain-crime relationship, namely the dispositions or personality traits of the individual experiencing strain. Recently, Agnew and associates (2002) published results from a study examining the conditioning effects …

Assessment Of Resource Selection Using Remote Sensing And Geographic Information Systems (Gis) For Two Vertebrates In Disparate Habitats: The Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus) And The North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena Glacialis), Cherie A. Keller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a treatise on spatially-explicit resource selection on two very different vertebrate species. The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is the most endangered large whales in the world. Ship strikes and fishing gear entanglement are impediments to recovery. The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is an imperiled species whose upland habitats are shrinking from urban and agricultural development. Determining spatial distribution of important resources is important for conservation strategies. Historical and modern thinking of habitat selection theory and analytical techniques are reviewed and applied to these species. Fine-scale resource selection of sea surface temperature …

African American Adult Education Professors: Perceptions Of Graduate Studies In Adult Education, Sharon Gatling Waldrum

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to provide historical and philosophical information regarding the field of Adult Education from the perspective of 15 African Americans. This studys design utilized the findings from African-American Adult Educators (A-AAE) to add to the depth and breadth of information about Adult Education by engaging participants in reflective dialogue regarding the field and their experiences.

This qualitative design used semi-structured interviews to obtain information about the relationships among and influences of major professors and dissertation committees. The study included influences, direct and indirect, as well as influential authors, books, and publications. Adult Education was analyzed …

An Analysis Of Pedagogical Strategies: Using Synchronous Web-Based Course Systems In The Online Classroom, Shauna J. Schullo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated a synchronous web-based course system (SWBCS) as a supplement todistance learning courses. Although challenges exist (such as the complex interface and potentialtechnological problems); these systems hold the potential to enhance the distance learning experiencethrough increased interaction, immediacy, social presence, group work, and collaboration.

Using a rigorous blend of research methods, the study investigated the following questions: (1) what types of pedagogical strategies do instructors implement, (2) how do instructors utilize the tools, (3) which tools do instructors choose to use, (4) why do instructors use the tools and strategies that they choose, and (5) what perceptions do …

Area Access Control Systems: Zone Management And Personnel Tracking, Bharath Natarajan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Area access control is defined as the process of mediating requests to enter a physical area through one or more entry points. Area access control database systems are the collections of information required for an access control system to access, query, retrieve and match real time user inputs with persistent data to ensure the integrity of the resources it protects. This thesis presents an object oriented approach to the design and implementation of a centralized area access control database system and focuses on two features, zone management and personnel tracking. Zone management is defined as the process of hierarchically …

Organic Vapor Sensing Using High Frequency Thickness Shear Mode Resonators, Randolph Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Thickness shear mode (TSM) sensors, also known as quartz crystal micro-balances (QCM) are a class of acoustic wave sensors that have been used for gas/vapor sensing. Fast and sensitive chemical vapor sensing, specifically of hydrocarbon vapors is an important application for these vapor sensors. The TSM sensors typically used have a lower sensitivity compared with other acoustic wave sensors. This thesis describes the development of high sensitivity organic vapor sensors using thin polymer film coatings on TSM devices. Commercially available AT-quartz TSM devices were milled leaving a thin quartz membrane surrounded by a thicker outer ring. This resulted in an …

Implant Annealing Of Al Dopants In Silicon Carbide Using Silane Overpressure, Shailaja P. Rao

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research is to develop a post-implantation annealing process in silicon carbide (SiC). Due to the low diffusivities of dopants in SiC, even at temperatures in excess of 2000°C, diffusion is not a suitable process to achieve selective, planar doping. Ion implantation is therefore the most suitable means for achieving selective doping in SiC crystals. The strong covalent bonding in SiC requires that selective doping be performed via high-energy ion implantation. As a consequence of the high ion energy and flux, there is considerable lattice damage to the crystal surface. To repair the damage caused by the …