Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Urban-Eco-Filter: Introducing New Lungs To The City Of Beijing, Carlos Gil

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is evident that several cities in China have experienced a variety of global impacts. Beijing for instance, has become synonymous with mass-migration over the years. The immense scale of projected rural migration, the unmanageable intervention of new housing urban developments, and the high levels of air pollution in Beijing have become a global dilemma. In order to alleviate Beijing's critical ecological conditions, the introduction of "new lungs", as an urban environmental design to the city should be examined. This thesis project illustrates how urban productive landscape and bike infrastructure can be essential in urban development through the implementation of …

Towards The Development Of A Coastal Prediction System For The Tampa Bay Estuary, Heather Holm Havens

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research is to evaluate a coastal prediction system under various real world scenarios to test the efficacy of the system as a management tool in Tampa Bay. The prediction system, comprised of a three-dimensional numerical circulation model and a Lagrangian based particle tracking model, simulates oceanographic scenarios in the bay for past (hindcast), present (nowcast) and future (forecast) time frames. Instantaneous velocity output from the numerical circulation model drives the movement of particles, each representing a fraction of the total material, within the model grid cells.

This work introduces a probability calculation that allows for rapid …

Revitalization And Modernization Of Old Havana, Cuba, Mileydis Hernandez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Architecture around the world has been very influential for determining the historical background of many cities. The architecture of the city of Havana in Cuba is etched with unique historical forces and signature buildings. This architecture embodies local reproductions of Western and European styles. The superimposing of Western and European styles led to the formation of a "strange baroquism" that defined the "lasting features of the overall idiosyncrasy of the city."

Since Cuba's change of government in the 1950s, architecture has progressed very little. From the day Castro took power, Havana's skyline has hardly altered. After the fall of the …

Exploring The Effects Of Bmi Health Report Card Letters Among 6Th Grade Students And Parents: An Application Of The Social Cognitive Theory, Jenna M. Kaczmarski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In response to the growing child and adolescent obesity epidemic, some states and local school authorities are mandating the measurement of Body Mass Index (BMI). However, there is limited research addressing whether schools are an appropriate setting and the intended as well as unintended effects of sharing this information with parents. Furthermore, there is yet to be conclusive evidence that shows that BMI screening in the school setting is an effective way to improve student BMI status. Therefore, the purpose of this research study was to explore the effects of BMI Health Report Card Letters among 6th grade students and …

Characterization Of The Underwater Light Environment And Its Relevance To Seagrass Recovery And Sustainability In Tampa Bay, Florida, Christopher J. Anastasiou

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The availability of light is a primary limiting factor for seagrass recovery and sustainability. Understanding not only the quantity but the quality of light reaching the bottom is an important component to successful seagrass management and the key focus of this study. This study explores the spectral properties of the sub-surface light field in four shallow Seagrass Management Areas (SMA) in Tampa Bay. Wavelength-specific photosynthetically active radiation (PAR(λ)) and the spectral light attenuation coefficient (K_d(λ)) are used to estimate the percent blue, green, and red light remaining at the bottom relative to the surface. LIDAR Bathymetry is combined …

An Autoethnographic Account: A Description Of Nine Young Children's Literacy Learning Experiences In A Summer Camp, Melinda G. Adams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My research assistant and I employed participant observation to study graduate tutors and children in a literacy camp setting. Research questions were: What types of literacy instruction do nine children receive from graduate education major tutors in a community of interest summer literacy camp? How do nine children respond to literacy instruction they receive from graduate education tutors in a summer literacy camp? We collected data once a week for six weeks. We observed and took notes to determine what instruction graduate tutors offered and how children responded. I used autoethnographic methods to reflect on my former teaching practices. Ellis …

Latent Newspaper Functions During The Impact Phase Of Hurricane Katrina, Christina A. Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Media is used by audiences for more than its simple role as information provider. Audiences have been found to use news providers output in a multitude of ways. It has been found that some audience members have used such output as a way to gain social capital that aids in the generation of feelings of social cohesion with their community. This has been found to be especially true during the impact phase of a natural disaster, such as a hurricane (Perez-Lugo, 2004). Unfortunately what news providers specifically articulate that might have this latent use by audiences has not been studied …

Computer Simulations Of Apomyoglobin Folding, Mariangela Dametto

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The differences between refolding mechanisms of sperm whale apomyoglobin subsequent to three different unfolding conditions have been examined by atomistic level computer simulations. The three unfolding conditions used in this work are high-temperature, low temperature and low pH. The folding of this protein has been extensively studied experimentally, providing a large data base of folding parameters which can be probed using simulations.

The crystal structure of sperm whale myoglobin was taken from Protein Data Bank, followed by the removal of the heme unit and a subsequent energy minimization was performed in order to generate the native apomyoblogin form. Thus, the …

Gender And Internal Migration In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China: Rural Hometowns, Factory Work, And Urban Experiences, Milena Urszula Janiec-Grygo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on gender and scale as key aspects of the rural-to-urban migration process in China. Its specific aim is to connect economic and social reasons for rural women's migration towards urban factory work. Contemporary large-scale migration studies show inconsistencies and contradictions concerning reasons for migration, especially as it relates to gender. Thus, migration research often emphasizes the positive social changes experienced by women workers, in effect signaling that the most important needs of women migrants can be satisfied without economic gains. In contrast, the proposed study seeks to show that social and economic reasons intertwine within women's experiences …

Developing Pre-Literacy Skills In Preschool Children: The Utilization Of Parents As A Vital Resource, Ashley N. Sundman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of a parent-implemented intervention on preschool children's development of letter-naming and phonological awareness skills. Six parent-child dyads with children enrolled in a Head Start Program in West Central Florida were selected to participate in the study. A multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the impact of an intervention package that included activities focusing on: (1) using mnemonics to learn letter names and (2) developing phonological awareness of the onsets of words through parent questioning and feedback. Phonological awareness development was measured using the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills First Sound …

Leading Change In Schools: Leadership Practices For A District Supported School-Based Reform Model, Monica C. Verra

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The reauthorization of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 strongly encourages the use of a response-to-intervention (RtI) model to reduce the number of students identified as learning disabled, to increase student achievement, and to close learning gaps between subgroups of students. RtI is based on the systematic assessment of students' responses to high-quality research-based instruction and interventions. The implementation of a research-based school-specific intervention model, such as RtI, may result in significant change for schools and districts.

The purpose of this study was to describe perceptions of the level of change the implementation of RtI represents in a …

Rhetorics Of Fear, Deployment Of Identity, And Metal Music Cultures, Gregory Vance Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to analyze the rhetorics of fear operating in public discourses surrounding metal music. This analysis focuses on how the public rhetorics deploy identity on listener populations through both the mediation and legislation of identities. Specifically, this mediation takes place using both symbols of fear and arguments constructed on potential threats. Texts for analysis in this study include film and television documentaries, newspaper articles, book-length critiques of and scholarship on heavy metal, and transcripts from the U.S. Senate Hearings on Record Labeling.

"Heavy metal" and "metal music" are labels that categorize diverse styles of music. …

Mathematics Education: The Voice Of African American And White Adolescents, Sharondrea R. King

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Several studies have provided evidence regarding factors that contribute to the mathematics achievement gap between African American and White students. Byrnes (2003) found that 45%-50% of the difference in White and African American students' performance in mathematics was associated with socioeconomic status, exposure to learning opportunities, and motivational aspects of math while 4.5% was explained by ethnicity. The goal in this mixed method study was to examine the mathematics attitude of African American (n = 22) and White (n = 10) high school students and to allow students to voice what practices and supports they perceived enabled them to learn …

Elementary School Assistant Principals‟ Decision Making Analyzed Through Four Ethical Frameworks Of Justice, Critique, Care, And The Profession, Brenda Troy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the conceptual framework of ethical reasoning of public elementary school assistant principals during decision-making. An ethical framework not only provides a descriptive way of thinking during ethical decision-making, but also provides a rationale for decisions. The purpose of this study was to determine which ethical reasoning framework, including the ethics of justice, critique, care, and the profession, elementary school assistant principals' use during decision-making. Additionally, the study determined other resources assistant principals' consult during decision-making.

This study incorporated descriptive survey research through purposeful sampling with specific participant criteria. A researcher-developed survey of hypothetical dilemmas was deployed electronically …

The Role Of Cocrystals In Solid-State Synthesis Of Imides And The Development Of Novel Crystalline Forms Of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, Miranda L. Cheney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With a greater understanding of the fundamentals of crystal engineering lays the

potential for the development of a vast array of novel materials for a plethora of

applications. Addressed herein is the latent potential of the current knowledge base with

an emphasis upon cocrystallization and the desire for scientific exploration that will lead

to the development of a future generation of novel cocrystals. The focus of this

dissertation is to expand the cocrystallization knowledge base in two directions with the

utilization of cocrystals in the novel synthetic technique of cocrystal controlled solid-state

synthesis and in the development of active pharmaceutical …

Tracing Anthropogenic Wastes: Detection Of Fluorescent Optical Brighteners In A Gradient Of Natural Organic Matter Fluorescence, Laura Kellie Dixon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A dual wavelength method was developed for the field detection of optical brighteners

(OBs), fluorescent laundry additives used as indicators of anthropogenic wastes. The

method was quantitative for OBs under variable levels of fluorescent colored dissolved

organic matter (CDOM). Based on excitation at 300-400 nm and 440 and 550 nm

emission, the method assumed a constant ratio of fluorescence due to CDOM alone, even

if absolute amplitude varied. Concentrations of OBs were computed as the difference

between the observed 440 nm emission and the expected CDOM fluorescence at 440 nm,

as extrapolated from the 550 nm fluorescence and established CDOM …

Determinants Of Nutrition Appointment Non-Attendance Among Male Veterans, Claire Fontenot Bell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During fiscal years 2006 and 2007, nearly 1 in 4 Veterans failed to keep their individual nutrition appointments, impeding clinic workflow, productivity, and management of weight and nutrition related health conditions. The purpose of this study was to identify determinants of nutrition appointment attendance in the Veteran population. This study examined the cognitive and structural factors that influence nutrition appointment attendance. Specifically, the study sought to determine: Veteran reported reasons for non-attendance and factors associated with appointment attendance. The research design entailed sequential use of qualitative and quantitative methods. Individual, semi-structured interviews and a mail survey were used to identify …

Effects Of Expectancies And Coping On Pain-Induced Motivation To Smoke, Joseph W. Ditre

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of tobacco smoking among persons with recurrent pain is approximately twice that observed in the general population. Smoking has been associated with the development and exacerbation of several chronically painful conditions. Conversely, there is both experimental and cross-sectional evidence that pain is a potent motivator of smoking. A recent study provided the first evidence that laboratory-induced pain could elicit increased craving and produce shorter latencies to smoke (Ditre & Brandon, 2008). To further elucidate interrelations between pain and smoking, and to identify potential targets for intervention, the current study tested whether several constructs derived from social-cognitive theory influence …

Communication, Consumption And Manipulation: The Body As Language In The Films Of Jan Švankmajer, Amanda Marie Dowd

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I will analyze and discuss the work of renowned director Jan Švankmajer. Specifically, I will examine how director Jan Švankmajer’s representation of the body creates a metaphorical language. In addition, I will address what meaning can be gathered from, or made apparent through the commentary of the body’s language and discuss the significance of the socio-political implications. Prior to my discussion of Švankmajer’s work I will give a concise socio-political history of the Czech Republic from 1968-1994; this discussion will provide a framework for the subsequent analyses. In order to provide support for my argument, I will …

Self-Fashioning, Consumption, And Japonisme: The Power Of Collecting In Tissot’S Jeunes Femmes Regardant Des Objets Japonais, 1869, Catherine Elizabeth Turner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines self-fashioning and the practice of collecting in Second Empire Paris as manifest in James Tissot's Jeunes femmes regardant des objets japonais (1869, Cincinnati Museum of Art). The painting, exhibited in the Salon of 1869, conspicuously portrays Tissot's own collection of exotic Asian collectibles and the artist's private luxe interior. When scholars investigate and interpret Jeunes femmes, it is regularly defined within the prescriptive realm of Tissot's later London paintings, or of his well known series, La Femme à Paris. I argue for a less circumspect engagement with the painting, by focusing on the portrayal of …

The Influence Of Perceived Social Support From Parents, Classmates, And Teachers On Early Adolescents’ Mental Health, Tiffany N. White

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the relationships among perceived social support, mental health, and achievement in early adolescents, via analysis of an archival data set consisting of 390 middle school students. Specifically of interest was how various sources of social support (i.e., parent, classmate, and teacher) independently and uniquely predicted pathology (i.e., internalizing and externalizing symptoms) and wellness (i.e., life satisfaction) in youth. This study also examined the role of gender in the relationship between social support and mental health outcomes in order to delineate the specific types of support most salient to boys versus girls. Finally, this study explored the …

Investigation Of The Factors Influencing Skid Resistance And The International Friction Index, Luis G. Fuentes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is compiled of the findings of several phases of a detailed research study that was aimed at investigating the Skid Resistance phenomenon. In the first phase of the dissertation research a study was performed to evaluate the different factors that influence frictional measurements obtained using the Dynamic Friction Tester (DFT). A temperature calibration factor that would account for temperature effects on DFT readings and IFI computations was developed. In addition, other variables that also affect the friction measurements obtained using the DFT are identified. In the next phase of the dissertation research the effect of pavement roughness on …

The Development Of A Human Polyomavirus Quantitative Pcr Assay To Assess Viral Persistence, Water Quality, And Human Health Risks, Shannon M. Mcquaig

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microbial water quality is generally assessed using fecal indictor organisms; however host-specific microbial source tracking (MST) methodologies can be employed to differentiate sources of fecal pollution. The central goal of this research was to develop and validate a QPCR assay for the quantification of two human-specific polyomaviruses (HPyVs) in environmental water samples. These viruses are prevalent worldwide and produce lifelong, asymptomatic viruria in immunocompetent individuals.

A Taqman® quantitative PCR (QPCR) assay based on the conserved T-antigen of two HPyVs (JCV and BKV) was developed and optimized (Chapter 2). HPyVs were detected in a high proportion of human-associated waste samples (e.g. …

From China To Cuba: Guerilla Warfare As A Mechanism For Mobilizing Resources, Jorge Barrera

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Guerilla Warfare is a weapon of the weak; it is decisive only where the actor in power fails to commit adequate resources to the conflict. The Chinese and Cuban revolutions are examples of guerilla warfare success, albeit under different conditions and employment techniques; while Mao Tse-tung utilized decentralized guerilla warfare to indoctrinate and mobilize the masses of peasants for revolutionary struggle against a stronger enemy; Fidel Castro employed a more centralized approach to create the conditions necessary for popular support of the revolution. However, in both cases guerilla warfare was simply part of a pragmatic grand strategy to build nationalism …

Globalization, Migration And The U.S. Labor Market For Physicians: The Impact Of Immigration On Local Wages, Finnie B. Cook

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The healthcare labor market has experienced some significant changes in the last half century, including the establishment of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965, the emergence of managed care in the 1980s, and the worldwide mobility of labor encouraged by globalization. Currently, more than 25% of physicians working in the U.S. are foreign-born. The existing body of literature related to the impact of immigration on local wages has to date found conflicting results. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the impact of immigration of foreign physicians on local physician wages. This study employs physician survey data from the AMA …

Task Oriented Simulation And Control Of A Wheelchair Mounted Robotic Arm, Fabian Farelo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The main objective of my research is to improve the control structure for the new Wheelchair Mounted Robotic Arm (WMRA) to include new algorithms for optimized task execution; that is, making the WMRA a modular task oriented mobile manipulator. The main criterion to be optimized is the fashion in which the wheelchair approaches a final target as well as the starting and final orientation of the wheelchair. This is a novel approach in non-holonomic wheeled manipulators that will help in autonomously executing complex activities of daily living (ADL) tasks.

The WMRA is a 9 degree of freedom system, which provides …

Interrogating Virginia Woolf And The British Suffrage Movement, Gwen Trowbridge Anderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Interrogating Virginia Woolf and the British Suffrage Movement Gwen Trowbridge Anderson ABSTRACT Much has been written about Virginia Woolf's involvement with feminism and women's rights, but there has been far less exploration about her ties to suffrage. Many of her friends and family are involved in this exploration: Vanessa Stephen Bell, Ethel Smyth, and the Pankhursts (Emmeline, Sylvia, and Cristobel). Other important figures who are relevant to Woolf's work are Sonia Delaunay, Lewis Carroll, and Edmund Spenser. Important concepts like the New Woman, the suffrage movement, feminism, and women's rights are vital to understanding Woolf's involvement with suffrage. This dissertation …

Sensitivity Analysis Of Three Assembly Procedures For A Bascule Bridge Fulcrum, Luke Allen Snyder

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many different hub assembly procedures have been utilized over the years in bascule bridge construction. The first assembly procedure (AP1) involves shrink fitting a trunnion component into a hub, followed by the shrink fitting of the entire trunnion-hub (TH) assembly into the girder of the bridge. The second assembly procedure (AP2) involves shrink fitting the hub component first into the girder, then shrink fitting the trunnion component into the hub-girder (HG) assembly. The final assembly procedure uses a warm shrink fitting process whereby induction coils are placed on the girder of the bridge and heat is applied until sufficient thermal …

A Computational Kinematics And Evolutionary Approach To Model Molecular Flexibility For Bionanotechnology, Athina N. Brintaki

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Modeling molecular structures is critical for understanding the principles that govern the behavior of molecules and for facilitating the exploration of potential pharmaceutical drugs and nanoscale designs. Biological molecules are flexible bodies that can adopt many different shapes (or conformations) until they reach a stable molecular state that is usually described by the minimum internal energy. A major challenge in modeling flexible molecules is the exponential explosion in computational complexity as the molecular size increases and many degrees of freedom are considered to represent the molecules' flexibility. This research work proposes a novel generic computational geometric approach called enhanced BioGeoFilter …

Effects Of Geomorphic Setting On Shallow-Groundwater Exchange And Water Temperature Of Salmon-Bearing Headwater Streams Of The Lower Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, Jason C. Bellino

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Temperature is an important physical characteristic of headwater streams that controls the presence and health of juvenile salmonids. Surface water temperature is controlled by many factors including exchanges with groundwater. A study of the hydrology of wetlands associated with headwater streams on the Lower Kenai Peninsula was conducted to determine the effect of geomorphic setting on groundwater discharge to streams and ultimately on in-stream water temperature. Attention was focused on drainage-way and discharge slope wetlands as two end-members of the geomorphic settings of the study area.

Data were collected at 18 study reaches spanning four major watersheds in the study …