Digital Commons Network^™

Factors Influencing Special Educators’ Perspectives Regarding The Reintegration Of Special Education Students, Brandi L. Tanner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to obtain information about special educators' perceptions of the reintegration of special education students into general education classrooms and factors affecting their reintegration decisions. Reintegration is the process of determining when it is appropriate to fade and eventually remove special education services for a student. Special educators often are in a good position to both initiate and facilitate this process. The current study surveyed special educators. Participants read vignettes depicting special education students with mild disabilities and answered a set of survey questions regarding their perceptions about reintegrating the students into the general education …

A Case Study Of The Perceived Decision-Making Practices And Patterns Of Secondary Administrators Using Four Scenarios, Elizabeth M. Tuten

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research study explored practitioners' perceived understanding and situational use of seven decision-making models of educational administration. In examining the extant literature of the field, the following research problem emerged to guide this study: scholars and practitioners struggle to understand how school administrators make workplace decisions, and how school leaders perceive their decision-making strategies and actions. Based upon Pettigrew's (1985) Conceptual Framework of Organizational Change and relevant literature (see chapter 2), the researcher developed a series of questions in order to explore the aforementioned purpose and problem. Specifically, three principals, three assistant principals of curriculum, and three assistant principals for …

Ventricle Slice Detection In Mr Images Using Hough Transform And Object Matching Techniques, Chintan Thakkar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The determination of the center slice, defined as a slice through the lateral ventricles in the axial plane in a volume of MR images is important to the segmentation of the image into its anatomical parts. The center or ventricle slice in a set of MR images is recognized by the shape of the ventricles in the axial plane as depicted by the cerebro-spinal fluids in the image. Currently, no technique exists to detect this slice and the purpose of this thesis is to find a slice through the lateral ventricles in the axial plane from a volume of MRI …

Perceptions Of Principals And Teachers Of Their Roles And Other Variables In School Culture In Improving Their School’S Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (Fcat) Letter Grade By Two Grade Levels, Tracey D. Tedder

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on perceptions of principals, assistant principals and teachers of their impact on student achievement scores in improving their school's Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test letter grade scores. This information is of importance because we do not have information on how school reference groups (principals, teachers) perceive the grading of schools as defined by the Florida A+ Plan. Specifically, this study investigated perceptions of school principals, assistant principals and teachers on their role in improving the school's FCAT letter grade by two grade levels in a 9-month school year. This qualitative case study analyzes perceptions of factors and behaviors …

Development Of Window Layer For High Efficiency High Bandgap Cadmium Selenide Solar Cell For 4-Terminal Tandem Solar Cell Applications, Sridevi A. Vakkalanka

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Tandem solar cells fabricated from thin films provide promise of improved efficiency while keeping the processing costs low. CdSe as top cells are investigated in this work. CIGS has been a standardized process with lab efficiencies reaching 18% [53]. This dissertation focuses on the development of conductive window layer for the development of a high performance, high bandgap solar cell. ZnSe, Cu2-xSe, and ZnSexTe1-x are investigated as viable window layers of the top cell. ZnSe in undoped form forms a good junction with CdSe films, but the Voc from these devices could never exceed the 360mV mark, while the current …

"Mingling Incantations": Hart Crane's Neo-Symbolist Poetics, Christopher A. Tidwell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The largest impediment to appreciating Hart Crane as a symbolist modern American poet derives from the fragmentary critical attention paid to his borrowings from and familiarity with French Symbolists like Charles Baudelaire, Arthur Rimbaud, and Stéphane Mallarmé. Almost equally important, the early career of T. S. Eliot exerted a profound impact on Crane's poetic development and indeed served as the primary introduction to many nineteenth-century French poets for Crane and many other American poets of his generation. This dissertation initially examines contemporary critical definitions of the symbolist method and explores the extent to which Hart Crane's familiarity with the French …

Communicating Change: An Ethnography Of Women’S Sensemaking On Menopause, Hormone Replacement Therapies, And The Women’S Health Initiative, Linda Vangelis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As a result of the recent findings of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), many women who have been on hormone replacement therapies (HRT) have begun to renegotiate their understandings and strategies of this stage of their lives. The WHI findings suggested that the risks of HRT outweighed the benefits for healthy menopausal women. This study examined women's emerging sensemaking regarding HRT and menopause in light of the WHI findings. Seven women in the Tampa Bay area, who were in various stages of menopause, participated in three focus group sessions and two one-on-one interviews to discuss their lives in menopause. Based …

A Closer Look At The Work Hours And Work/Family Relationship: The Moderating And Enhancing Effects Of Fit, Matthew D. Tuttle

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Managing the conflict between work and family role demands is a critical issue that has generated substantial interest for both individuals and organizations in recent decades. One factor thought to contribute to the occurrence of work-family conflict (WFC) is the amount of time committed to activities in either the family or to the work domain. Because time is a finite resource, it has been posited that when one dedicates a certain amount of time to one domain, this will invariably take away from the amount of time available for activities in the other domain. The result of this is conflict …

Ethnic Differences In Body Mass Index, Christine Anne Vaughan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The greater body mass of African American females relative to Caucasian females is a well-documented finding implicated in ethnic disparities in health outcomes. The principal aim of the current study was to evaluate a theoretical account that may explain ethnic differences in body mass index. The proposed theoretical account focused on appearance-related concerns regarding the desirability of a thin body type as motivation to engage in weight control behavior. It was hypothesized that Caucasians would evidence greater internalization of the thin ideal than African Americans, which would then be associated with greater dietary restriction and physical activity, thereby predicting lower …

Satellite Analysis Of Temporal And Spatial Chlorophyll Patterns On The West Florida Shelf (1997-2003), Lisa Anne Vanderbloemen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation is to gain a better understanding of the environmental and climatic effects on the temporal and spatial variability of phytoplankton biomass along the West Florida Shelf. Chapter 1 examines temporal and spatial patterns in chlorophyll concentrations using satellite data collected between 1997 and 2003. Chlorophyll data derived from the SeaWiFS sensor are validated with in-situ data and analyzed. Wind, current, sea surface temperature, river, and rain data are used to better understand the factors responsible for the patterns observed in the satellite data. My question is whether the standard OC4 algorithm is adequate for studying …

Freedom Fighters, Freedom Haters, Martyrs, And Evildoers: The Social Construction Of Suicide Terrorism, Cã©Cile Valã©Rie Van De Voorde

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Suicide terrorism is characterized by the willingness of physically and psychologically war-trained individuals to die while destroying or attempting to annihilate enemy targets in furtherance of certain political or social objectives. Rooted in the historical, social, and psychological dimensions of international terrorism, suicide terrorism is neither a unique nor a new phenomenon. Its recent resurgence and the extensive media coverage it has received account for the misleading uniqueness of this violent, complex, and adaptive form of terrorism. This qualitative study examines the definitional and rhetorical processes by which suicide terrorism is socially constructed. Using a social constructionist theoretical framework coupled …

A Structural Approach To The Study Of Intra-Organizational Coalitions, Dean T. Walsh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coalitions are widely associated with collective or collaborative attempts to influence organizational members, decisions, policies and events. Yet, surprisingly, relatively little is known about how coalitions develop within organizations. Employing an exploratory case study design and using social network analysis, the Rokeach Value Survey, and semi-structured interviews, this research demonstrated that it is possible to identify and study coalitions in a real organizational setting. I suggest that the inclusion and investigation of member relationships may advance the state of the art in organizational coalition research. A benefit of this study, and contrary to most coalition research, is that it used …

“Trust Yourself To God:” Friar Francisco Pareja And The Franciscans In Florida, 1595-1702, Albert William Vogt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Friar Francisco Pareja represented the pinnacle of the achievement for the Franciscans in Florida during the Spanish colonial period. But who were the Franciscans? Why were they, and Friar Pareja in particular, so successful as missionaries? The bulk of the writing done thus far on the mission system in Florida has concentrated on retelling the lost story of the native peoples who once inhabited the land. The impact of the missions and the Spanish colony weighed heavily on native cultures and the Franciscans role in this has been discussed. However, little has been said about the religious order itself, and …

An Exploration Of Middle-Aged And Older Women's Experiences Of Bat Mitzvah Within The Framework Of Erikson's Theory Of Human Development, Keren S. Vergon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A growing number of Jewish women are participating in adult bat mitzvah ceremonies in many synagogues across the United States. Little is known about the reasons why women choose to participate in a bat mitzvah ritual as an adult. It is also unclear if women of different ages have different reasons for participating in bat mitzvah.Older women were often not given the opportunity to participate in the bat mitzvah ritual as a young adult, and it is unknown why older women choose to accept the challenge of bat mitzvah. It may be suspected that Jewish women are interested in adult …

Linkages Between Environmental Conditions And Recreational King Mackerel Catch Off West-Central Florida, Carrie C. Wall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to determine if fronts sustained up to three days will result in an aggregation of kingfish due to the anticipated accumulation of forage, increasing fishing success at these locations. Automated algorithms to detect frontal features in satellite-derived sea surface temperature, chlorophyll concentration, water clarity, and fluorescence images were successfully adapted for the coastal waters off west-central Florida. The surface ocean fronts were used to study the linkages between environmental conditions and recreational catch statistics of king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) during 19 seasonal tournaments held in April to May and October to November of 2004 …

A Morphometric Analysis Of The Geomorphology Of Florida’S Springs, Andrew Curtis Walker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An exploratory study of the geomorphology of Florida's springs was conducted using morphometric analysis. Spatial datasets for spring locations, elevation data, physiography, geology and hydrography were acquired for incorporation and analysis with GIS technology. ArcGIS 9 was used to measure certain morphometric parameters from the spatial data for Florida's springs. Other Parameters representing physical and dimensional characteristics of the springs were acquired from FGS Bulletin 66, Springs of Florida. All measured and collected data was compiled into a usable morphometric database. The data is described statistically and summarized according to the spatial distribution of Florida's springs with respect to geology …

Associations Between Individual, Social, And Service Factors, Recovery Expectations And Recovery Strategies For Individuals With Mental Illness, Gary W. Walby

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Clinical and consumer recovery efforts continue to advance more successful recovery agendas. Limited research into the effect of the expectation to recover and what strategies are most effective in enhancing recovery impedes coherent recovery programming. What factors are significantly associated with recovery expectancy and recovery strategies is still largely unknown. Thus, this study addresses three key gaps in the field.

First, which factors associate with the expectation of recovery and is expectation related to strategy choice? Second, what are common strategies for recovery from mental illness and what factors are associated with each strategy? Third, does recovery expectancy or severity …

Unconfined Versus Confined Speleogenetic Settings: Variations Of Solution Porosity, Alexander Klimchouk

International Journal of Speleology

Speleogenesis in confined settings generates cave morphologies that differ much from those formed in unconfined settings. Caves developed in unconfined settings are characterised by broadly dendritic patterns of channels due to highly competing development. In contrast, caves originated under confined conditions tend to form two- or three-dimensional mazes with densely packed conduits. This paper illustrates variations of solution (channel) porosity resulted from speleogenesis in unconfined and confined settings by the analysis of morphometric parameters of typical cave patterns. Two samples of typical cave systems formed in the respective settings are compared. The sample that represents unconfined speleogenesis consists of solely …

Relationships Between Deflector Faults, Collapse Dolines And Collector Channel Formation: Some Examples From Slovenia, France Šušteršič

International Journal of Speleology

In some Slovenian caves collector channels gather sinking underground streams and redirect them for potentially long distances parallel to certain faults. The collector channels formed due to ongoing long-term collapse of cave roofs at the points where passages break through the faults, which function as a kind of screen and are termed deflector faults. The fault trends are marked by collapse within the caves, and by active collapse dolines at the surface.

Salt Ingestion Caves, Charles A. Lundquist, William W. Varnedoe Jr.

International Journal of Speleology

Large vertebrate herbivores, when they find a salt-bearing layer of rock, say in a cliff face, can produce sizable voids where, over generations, they have removed and consumed salty rock. The cavities formed by this natural animal process constitute a unique class of caves that can be called salt ingestion caves. Several examples of such caves are described in various publications. An example in Mississippi U.S.A., Rock House Cave, was visited by the authors in 2000. It seems to have been formed by deer or bison. Perhaps the most spectacular example is Kitum Cave in Kenya. This cave has been …

Tracer-Test Design For Losing Stream–Aquifer Systems, Malcolm S. Field

International Journal of Speleology

Hydrological tracer testing is an effective way for assessing the significance and extent of leakage through the bed of an influent (losing and sinking) stream. In karstic terranes, leakage from losing and sinking streams typically resurge at downstream springs, but flow may be intercepted by production wells. Although sinking streams that disappear into swallow holes and caves are relatively easy to trace, developing a tracer test design for a losing stream that allows slow percolation through its bed is complicated by the lack of basic knowledge regarding leakage rate, leakage locations along its length, and temporal variability. To overcome these …

Caves And Speleogenesis At Blomstrandsøya, Kongsfjord, W. Spitsbergen, Stein-Erik Lauritzen

International Journal of Speleology

Blomstrandsøya, at Kongsfjord (78° 57’N), Spitsbergen, is within the high arctic, a completely permafrozen zone. The bedrock consists of Paleozoic marbles and has yielded a surprising amount of karst features. Early phases of hydrothermal, possibly Caledonian, speleogenesis and subsequent Devonian karstification with redbed deposits is well documented. 62 active seacaves, and more than 30 relict karst caves were found in the coastal cliffs and in escarpment faces around the island. All caves have very limited extent; they are either quite short, like most of the active sea caves, or they are soon choked by frozen sediments and ground ice after …

Thermal Variations In The Hyporheic Zone Of A Karst Stream, Toby Dogwiler, Carol Wicks

International Journal of Speleology

This investigation quantifies how temperatures in the streambed sediments of a karst stream fluctuate in relation to discharge, seasonal, and diurnal temperature variations as the stream passes through a karst window. Furthermore, the linkages between meteorological processes and temperature variation in the hyporheic zone are delineated. Examination of a high-resolution, three dimensional record of temperature variation in a karst stream substrate provides insight into thermal disturbances in the hyporheic zone. Temperatures in the upper portion of the hyporheic zone are strongly linked to air temperatures via the surface water. The variation is considerably less as depth increases. The annual temperature …

Vashegyite From Gaura Cu Muscă Cave (Locvei Mountains, Romania): A New And Rare Phosphate Occurrence, Bogdan P. Onac, Luminiţa Zaharia, Joe Kearns, Daniel Veres

International Journal of Speleology

This study investigated the occurrence of vashegyite from a guano-rich deposit located in the Gaura cu Muscă Cave, Romania. Analytical methods used include optical microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron-microscopy (SEM), inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), thermal investigations and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) analyses. Vashegyite occurs as friable, chalky white, irregular nodules of up to 2.5 cm in diameter, within a 15 cm thick sequence of organic and minerogenic sediments. The chemical structural formula is: (Al_10.91Fe³⁺_0.06Na_0.1Ca_0.02Mg_0.08)_Σ=11.17[(PO₄)_8.78(SiO₄)_0.056]_Σ=8.83(OH) …

The Distribution Of Diatom Flora In Ice Caves Of The Northern Yukon Territory, Canada: Relationship To Air Circulation And Freezing, Bernard Lauriol, Clément Prévost, Denis Lacelle

International Journal of Speleology

In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, various media in karst environments in the Northern Yukon Territory were examined for their diatom content. Cryogenic cave calcite powders, grus and various ice formations (ice plugs, ice stalagmites and floor ice) were collected from three freezing caves and one slope cave to make an inventory of the diatom content, and to explain the spatial distribution of the diatoms within the caves. The results show that approximately 20% of diatoms in the caves originate from external biotopes and habitats (e.g., river, lake, stream), with the remaining 80% of local origin (i.e., from subaerial …

Studies Of Condensation/Evaporation Processes In The Glowworm Cave, New Zealand, C. R. De Freitas, A. Schmekal

International Journal of Speleology

The condensation/evaporation process is important in caves, especially in tourist caves where there is carbon dioxide enriched air caused by visitors. The cycle of condensation and evaporation of condensate is believed to enhance condensation corrosion. The problem is condensation is difficult to measure. This study addresses the problem and reports on a method for measuring and modelling condensation rates in a limestone cave. Electronic sensors for measuring condensation and evaporation of the condensate as part of a single continuous process of water vapour flux are tested and used to collect 12 months of data. The study site is the Glowworm …

Radon In Caves: Clinical Aspects, Stephen A. Craven, Berend J. Smit

International Journal of Speleology

Historical, experimental and clinical evidence is presented to suggest that radon constitutes a relatively small carcinogenic risk for casual visitors to caves. The risk is dependent on radon levels and the smoking of tobacco. Show cave guides, chronically exposed to radon, may be at increased risk for lung cancer due to the effects of radon, especially if they are smokers of tobacco.

Identification Of Cave Minerals By Raman Spectroscopy: New Technology For Non-Destructive Analysis, William B. White

International Journal of Speleology

The identification of minerals from caves generally requires that samples be removed from the cave for analysis in the laboratory. The usual tools are X-ray powder diffraction, the optical microscope, and the scanning electron microscope. X-ray diffraction gives a definitive fingerprint by which the mineral can be identified by comparison with a catalog of reference patterns. However, samples must be ground to powder and unstable hydrated minerals may decompose before analysis is complete. Raman spectroscopy also provides a fingerprint useful for mineral identification but with the additional advantage that some a-priori interpretation of the spectra is possible (distinguishing carbonates from …

Gift Authorship Practices - History, Trends And Remedies, Saba Sohail

Department of Radiology

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Mini-Pile Anchors To Resist Uplift Forces In Lightweight Structures, Julio Aguilar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the state of Florida one of the primary factors which influences design of structures is the effect of hurricane force winds on structures. These forces can be greater than any other force encountered throughout the lifetime of said structure. For this reason, designing a structure to resist such forces can greatly increase the cost and time required for completing construction projects. Traditionally, large concrete footings have been utilized to resist wind-induced uplift forces. These footings do little more than act as large reaction masses to weigh down the building. An alternative and little-used method for resisting these large uplift …