Digital Commons Network^™

Serial Murder In Institutional Settings, Jennifer D. Grine

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research explored the topic of professional caregivers who commit serial murder in institutional settings. In-depth case studies were created for individuals convicted of serial murder in institutional settings in the United States. The purpose of this research was to identify the characteristics of this group of institutional serialists and compare the current data to existing data on serial killers. A technique of secondary data analysis was utilized to gather information on the sample of 17 individuals. Only public information was reviewed. Results of the data comparison between the current sample and existing information on serial killers indicated that institutional …

Brand Loyalty In The Automotive Community: A Case Study On The Chevrolet Corvette, Michele Ann Motichka

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This is a qualitative case study conducted to investigate the relationship between consumers who are brand loyal to a certain product and the groups that are formed to bring these enthusiasts together, using the Chevrolet Corvette and its community as a model. Qualitative research lends itself to studying relationships and social situations, in being able to observe and participate in a social context, rather than analyzing it from the outside looking in. By approaching this subject as a case study, an element of flexibility was allowed. This study primarily focuses on one main phenomena, the social groups formed by loyal …

Herbivore Abundance In Simple And Diverse Habitats: The Direct And Indirect Effects Of Plant Diversity And Habitat Structure, Laura F. Altfeld

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Herbivore abundances are determined by a set of interacting factors that vary among different habitat types. Specifically, herbivore abundances in monocultures and polycultures may be governed by the same set of factors but with varying influences in the different habitats. In addition, monophagous and polyphagous herbivores may respond differently to the same set of influencing factors. I examined several abiotic and biotic factors in manipulated monocultures and polycultures of Borrichia frutescens in a west central Florida salt marsh. The experimental plots differed in both plant diversity and aboveground habitat structure to see how each component of diversity contributed to variability …

Deployment And Strategies For Application Of Intelligent Transportation System Elements For Contra Flow Hurricane Evacuation And Emergency Response, Ingrid Leuchtenmueller Birenbaum

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Deployment and Strategies for Application of Intelligent Transportation System Elements for Contra Flow Hurricane Evacuation and Emergency Response Ingrid Leuchtenmueller Birenbaum ABSTRACT This thesis is focused upon the deployment and strategies for the application of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) elements for contra flow hurricane evacuation and emergency response. A 99-mile segment of the Mainline of Florida's Turnpike, State Road 91, comprises the research corridor. This segment stands as the potential one way evacuation route for major hurricane evacuations and other types of natural and man-made disasters for the Turnpike System. Plans have been developed and modified over time to address …

The Involvement Of Florida’S Full-Time Community College Faculty In Institutional Governance: Implications For Institutional Decision-Making, Martha Etheredge Campbell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study's purpose was to investigate the level of involvement of Florida's full-time community college faculty in institutional governance, their perceptions of the faculty governance body's role in institutional decision-making, and the characteristics of an ideal governance process. This study also explored the relation between a faculty member's level of involvement in governance activities and his or her perceptions of the desired roles of faculty in institutional governance as well as the relation between a faculty member's level of involvement and his or her gender, race, age, and years of employment. Certain factors that encourage or discourage faculty participation in …

Developing Organizational Development: Alienation And Organizing In The Age Of Information, Robert D. Kreisher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Modernism is characterized by alienation from one's self and the processes by which one's self gets constructed. Organizational development (OD) is an activity that attempts to address the experience of work and to transform the historical alienation.

OD practitioners are often optimistic that this transformation is possible and even is happening in the day-to-day work of OD. A group of critics, mostly academics, are skeptical about whether any real transformation is possible, arguing that OD practices are misguided extensions of modernism. In one thread of the OD literature, authors build an argument for the centrality of issues of identity in …

Effectiveness Of Social Story Interventions For Children With Asperger's Syndrome, Frank J. Sansosti

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of individualized social story interventions on the social communication skills of three children with Asperger's Syndrome (AS). Using a multiple baseline across participants desing, three social stories were implemented and direct observations of the participants' identified target behaviors were collected three times per week during unstructured school activities (e.g, recess). Data revealed an increase in the social communication skills of two of the three participants when the treatment was implemented. In addition, maintenance of treatment effects was observed in two participants. These data support recommendations for using social stories to …

Effect Of Cdcl2 Treatment On Cdte And Cds Solar Cell Characteristics After Exposure To Light For 1000 Hours, Ashok Rangaswamy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The CdTe solar cell is a leading candidate for cost-effective thin-film solar cells having demonstrated small area cell effciencies of 16.4%. A Key issue associated with CdTe thin film photovoltaic modules is the analysis of degradation behavior of the device. The analysis is complicated as changes due to degradation may be reversible. Solar cell measurement techniques were used to understand the changes in device parameters after light soaking for 1000 hours. An automated measurement setup was implemented as part of this thesis work. The main objective of this thesis was to study the effect of CdCl₂ heat treatment on …

Dermal Absorption Of A Dilute Aqueous Solution Of Malathion, John E. Scharf Md

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Malathion is a commonly used organophosphate pesticide on field crops, fruits, nut trees, vegetables, livestock, agricultural premises, and land. The approved uses also include mosquito and medfly control. These uses can result in human skin contact. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the human skin absorption of malathion for the purpose of assessing the risks associated with aqueous solution exposures following applications. Aerial applications can result in solubilized malathion in swimming pools and other waters that may be contacted. Human volunteers were selected and exposed to aqueous solutions of malathion at various concentrations. Participants submerged their arms and …

Software Testing Testbed For Mpeg-4 Video Traffic Over Ieee 802.11b Wireless Lans, Praveen Chiranjeevi Ikkurthy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Several traffic characterization studies have been performed on wireless LANs with the main objective of realizing good and accurate models of the errors in the wireless channel. These models have been extended to model the effect of errors on higher layer protocols, mainly at the data link layer. However, no prior work has been done to study the application level characteristics of MPEG-4 video traffic over 802.11b wireless networks. In this thesis a traffic characterization study of MPEG-4 video traffic over IEEE 802.11b wireless LANs with the main goal of building a tool for software testing is performed.

Using two …

Computer Aided Diagnosis In Digital Mammography: Classification Of Mass And Normal Tissue, Monika Shinde

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The work presented here is an important component of an on going project of developing an automated mass classification system for breast cancer screening and diagnosis for Digital Mammogram applications. Specifically, in this work the task of automatically separating mass tissue from normal breast tissue given a region of interest in a digitized mammogram is investigated. This is the crucial stage in developing a robust automated classification system because the classification depends on the accurate assessment of the tumor-normal tissue border as well as information gathered from the tumor area. In this work the Expectation Maximization (EM) method is developed …

Chess: A Tool For Cdfg Extraction And High-Level Synthesis Of Vlsi Systems, Ravi K. Namballa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, a new tool, named CHESS, is designed and developed for control and data-flow graph (CDFG) extraction and the high-level synthesis of VLSI systems. The tool consists of three individual modules for:(i) CDFG extraction, (ii) scheduling and allocation of the CDFG, and (iii) binding, which are integrated to form a comprehensive high-level synthesis system. The first module for CDFG extraction includes a new algorithm in which certain compiler-level transformations are applied first, followed by a series of behavioral-preserving transformations on the given VHDL description. Experimental results indicate that the proposed conversion tool is quite accurate and fast. The …

Perceptions Of Parental Differential Treatment: Correlates In Chronically Ill And Non-Ill Samples Of Children, Julie A. Reich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We studied perceptions parental differential treatment as reported by parents and children in two different settings. Perceptions of differential affection and control were examined in healthy families and in families that include a child diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Parental differential treatment was assessed using questionnaires that measured perceptions of absolute parenting for children and their siblings. Difference scores were subsequently utilized to generate perceived parental differential treatment scores. Participants were 61 parents (half with healthy children, half with one child who has diabetes) and 62 children (half comprising sibling pairs unaffected by any medical problems, half including one child …

Design And Characterization Of Multi-Layer Coplanar Waveguid Baluns And Inductors, Khaled Obeidat

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work examined the design and characterization of multilayer coplanar waveguide baluns and inductors. This work derives a design procedure that helps RF engineers design cost effective multilayer coplanar waveguide (CPW) spiral balun that works in the frequency range 1-8 GHz. The accuracy of the developed procedure has been proven by designing two balun circuits of different dimensions and simulating them using available commercial software, Momentum (MoM) and Empire (FDTD). The simulation results have shown good balun performance over the desired frequency range. Furthermore some of the designed balun circuits have been fabricated and measured and the results agree with …

Direct 3d Interaction Using A 2d Locator Device, Anees Ansari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Traditionally direct 3D interaction has always been limited to true 3D devices whereas 2D devices have always been used to achieve indirect 3D interaction. Till date no proper research has been done to try and extend the use of mouse to direct 3D interaction. In this research we explore the issues involved with using the mouse to accommodate the additional degrees of freedom required for 3D interaction. We put forth a unique and innovative design to achieve this objective and show that even a device as simple as the mouse can be highly effective for 3D interaction when supported by …

Music Programs That Engage Our Communities: Making A Stronger Connection, La Gretta Snowden

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to review a significant body of literature that related to music and arts education in the context of community engagement. An examination of the literature identified several issues affecting the engagement of communities in arts education pertaining to arts education policies, the role of arts organizations and the relationship between schools and communities. The summation of this research included an overview of models of successful collaborations between the public school and community institutions at national, state, and local levels in the United States with implications of future reform to the arts education policy.

With …

Effects Of Magnesium On Temporary Threshold Shift, Sarah Casey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous literature has demonstrated that supplemental magnesium may have a prophylactic effect on noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). The purpose of this study was to replicate the findings of a previous investigation concerning the beneficial effects of supplemental magnesium on TTS in humans. Forty participants with normal hearing were divided into two groups, experimental and control. The experimental group received a single, 150 mg dose of supplemental magnesium and the control group received a placebo. After an hour in a quiet environment, all participants were exposed to a narrowband noise centered at 2000 Hz and presented at 105 dB SPL. …

On The Indemonstrability Of The Principle Of Contradiction, Elisabeta Sarca

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I examine three models of justification for the epistemic authority of the principle of contradiction. Aristotle has deemed the principle "that the same attribute cannot at the same time belong and not belong to the same subject and in the same respect" the most certain and most prior of all principles, both in the order of nature and in the order of knowledge, and as such it is indemonstrable. The principle of contradiction is involved in any act of rational discourse, and to deny it would be to reduce ourselves to a vegetative state, being incapable of …

Evaluation Of A Presentation And Measurement Method For Assessing Activity Preference, Tara L. Lieblein

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Much research has focused on the development of methods of measuring preference for stimuli. These methods have shown to be an accurate and valid way to identify potential reinforcers. However, these methods have only been conducted with tangible stimuli and have not been extended to non-tangible stimuli or activities, potentially because these types of stimuli are not appropriate for current preference assessment presentation methodologies. This study used a single stimulus presentation preference assessment to identify preferred activities for two adults with developmental disabilities. Two measures (duration of engagement and indices of happiness) were collected to identify preferred stimuli. For both …

Flat Chests And Crossed Eyes: Scrutinizing Minor Bodily Stigmas Through The Lens Of Cosmetic Surgery, Joan Ann George

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

If cosmetic surgery has become the cultural lens through which Americans look at issues of beauty and ugliness (Haiken 1997), then minor bodily stigma is the personal lens through which we scrutinize our bodies and self-diagnose our own flaws in the first place (Ellis 1998). In this dissertation, I interrogated the stories of eight women who struggled with two specific minor bodily stigmas--strabismus (crossed eyes) and micromastia (small breasts). Cosmetic surgery presents a potential "cure" for both of these conditions, however, as some of my interviewees could testify, the results are unpredictable. While some women reported being grateful that they …

Incidence Of Peripheral Vestibulopathy In Bppv Patients With And Without Prior Otologic History, Allison Hulslander

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The incidence data provided by previous investigations of peripheral vestibulopathy in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) are quite variable. This variability may be explained, in part, by the otologic history of the patients included in these studies. Specifically, patients with a prior history of other otologic disease and BPPV should be more likely to present with peripheral vestibulopathy than patients without no prior history of otologic disease and BPPV. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of peripheral vestibulopathy in these two groups of BPPV patients. Caloric responses were analyzed for two groups of patients …

Evaluating Anger, Depression, And Anxiety In Aggressive/Homicidal And Depressive/Suicidal Children And Adolescents, Thomas Michael, Brunner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goals of this study were to evaluate anger, depression, and anxiety in children and adolescents with aggressive/homicidal (A/H) and depressive/suicidal (D/S) problems and to compare these clinical groups with each other and a normal control group. The State Trait Anger Expression Inventory for Children and Adolescents (STAXI C/A), the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), and the Pediatric Anxiety Scale (PANX) were administered to the Clinical (N=114) and Normal (N=353) groups ranging from 9-18 years of age. The Clinical group was comprised of 18 A/H, 87 D/S, and 18 Comorbid children with both problems.

The Clinical group had significantly higher scores …

The Forgotten History: The Deinstitutionalization Movement In The Mental Health Care System In The United States, Nana Tuntiya

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The development of ideas on deinstitutionalization of mental patients has a much longer history in the United States than is commonly acknowledged. Evidence of intense discussion on the rights of the mentally disturbed, curative as opposed to control measures in their treatment, and the drawbacks of congregating the afflicted in large institutions can be found as early as the middle of the 19th century. This discussion was provoked by dissemination of knowledge about the oldest community care program of all: the colony of mental patients in Gheel, Belgium. Based on document analysis of publications in the American Journal of Insanity …

The Experience Of Loss Of Voice In Adolescent Girls: An Existential-Phenomenological Study, Deborah A. Cihonski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the meaning of the Loss of Voice experience in adolescent girls using an existential-phenomenological interview approach. An open-ended interview was conducted and participants were asked to "Please think of a specific time when you had something important to say, but did not say it. In as much detail as possible, describe that experience." Each interview was tape-recorded, transcribed by the investigator, and then independently thematized (Jones, 1984) by the author and a doctoral colleague trained in Jones' (1984) analysis method. Interrater reliability of the themes reached 96% agreement for the overall sample. …

Integrated Reliability And Availability Aanalysis Of Networks With Software Failures And Hardware Failures, Wei Hou

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation research attempts to explore efficient algorithms and engineering methodologies of analyzing the overall reliability and availability of networks integrated with software failures and hardware failures. Node failures, link failures, and software failures are concurrently and dynamically considered in networks with complex topologies. MORIN (MOdeling Reliability for Integrated Networks) method is proposed and discussed as an approach for analyzing reliability of integrated networks. A Simplified Availability Modeling Tool (SAMOT) is developed and introduced to evaluate and analyze the availability of networks consisting of software and hardware component systems with architectural redundancy. In this dissertation, relevant research efforts in analyzing …

Failure Of The Russian Democratic Reforms: The Democratization Of The Big Bear, Nicolé M. Hicks

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Looking back at the past twelve years, many would say that it appears Russia has lost the battle for liberal democratic reform. Among Russia watchers, the following question has been circulated: "Who lost Russia?" This debate has polarized most scholars into one of two camps: those who feel the reforms failed (the critics) and those who feel the reforms were a success (the supporters).

This paper will explain why the Russian reforms failed. By filling in the holes left by current research, the author will demonstrate that the truth may lie somewhere in between the two opposing sides.

Hearing Evaluation In Infants: An Update For Pediatricians, Janet E. Sullivan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper provides an overview of developmental timetables relevant to hearing and of current pediatric audiological techniques and practices. The first sections summarize structural and functional development of the auditory pathway and the development of primary auditory processing. These developmental sequences appear to follow similar paths in humans and animals. Speech and music perception involve more complex processing and are strongly influenced by experience. Hearing disorders affect the perception of complex sounds in a variety of ways, depending on the site(s) of lesions. Early onset hearing impairment, including conductive loss from chronic otitis media, can seriously impede language development.

Language …

A Coral Window On Western Tropical Pacific Climate During The Pleistocene, Kelly Halimeda Kilbourne

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Monthly δ¹⁸O and Sr/Ca records generated from modern and fossil corals from Southwestern Pacific Ocean sites in the Republic of Vanuatu are used to assess the differences in mean climate state, seasonality, and interannual variability between a glacial and interglacial period.

The modern coral contains a well-defined annual signal in δ¹⁸O and Sr/Ca. The top 40 cm of the coral used in this study has a mean δ¹⁸O value of -4.99+/-0.13%VPDB (2σ) and a mean Sr/Ca value of 8.691+/-0.015mmol/mol (2σ). El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events are characterized by positive δ¹⁸O and Sr/Ca …

Designing Interactive Multimedia For The Anthropology Exhibit Gallery, Kelley Curtis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Computer-based multimedia offer an alternative means of providing instruction to learners in two primary, yet disparate, ways. Multimedia can be used to convey information to learners, or alternatively, learners can make use of multimedia to impart information. One example of the use of multimedia technologies at the University of South Florida is an interactive computer kiosk installed in the Anthropology Exhibit Gallery. The development of the educational program featured on the kiosk's touchscreen computer is the subject of this paper.

The purpose of the kiosk's program was twofold: 1) to introduce the field of anthropology to university students and the …

The Influence Of Air Mass Origin On The Wet Deposition Of Nitrogen To Tampa Bay, Florida, Ronald David Smith Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen has been implicated in the destruction of seagrass beds and in the decline of water quality of Tampa Bay, Florida. The objective of this research was to determine the tendency for air masses of different origins to wet-deposit nitrate and ammonium species to the bay.

Precipitation chemistry data was obtained via the NADP AIRMoN Gandy Bridge monitoring site for the period of 1 August 1996 through 31 December 2000. Rainfall events were classified by using the NOAA HYSPLIT trajectory model, precipitation chemistry data, and tropical storm history data. Average nitrate and ammonium concentrations and nitrogen fluxes …