Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Face To Face: English Uses And Understanding Of The Beard In Early Virginian Contacts, Jacqueline Colleen Barber

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many historians agree that categories of human division underwent a drastic change due to European New World encounters. The shift from religious divisions to ones based on ethnicity and skin color gradually developed in early modern Europe. Hence, before natives became "red," and Europeans "white" a period existed where the differences between these cultures were utilized in a variety of means to prove similarity and difference.

One element signifying difference during the early contact period was that of the beard. Hair as an identifier has a long history: through the middle ages, wildness was conveyed by hair and at times …

The Cumulative Effects Of Victimization, Community Violence, And Household Dysfunction On Depression And Suicide Ideation In A Cohort Of Adolescent Females, Katherine Best

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent scholarly efforts have sought to examine the cumulative impact of deleterious adverse childhood exposures on various mental health outcomes. Lifetime prevalence rates for depressive disorders are approximately 20% among adolescents. Depression is ranked as the leading cause for disability and fourth leading contributor to the global burden of disease in the world.

The purpose of this study was to determine the cumulative impact of adolescent adverse experiences on outcomes of depression, suicide ideation, and overall mental distress in a cohort of 125 adolescent girls receiving public assistance. The adverse exposures studied were personal victimization, household dysfunction, and community violence …

Microarray Analysis Of Streptococcus Mutans And Actinomyces Viscosus In Homologous And Heterologous Cultures, Steven Andrew Horton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The oral pathogen Streptococcus mutans is a known etiological agent for dental root decay and coronal caries. It has been hypothesized, but not yet proven, that S. mutans expression of virulence genes in dental plaque may be influenced by its interaction with co-aggregating partners, notably Fusobacterium nucleatum and Actinomyces viscosus. Investigation of the suitability of mixed cultures of S. mutans with F. nucleatum versus S. mutans with A. viscosus proved that A. viscosus was a better target in the present laboratory setting. Furthermore, A. viscosus, a causative agent of mandible osteomyelitis and endocarditis, has been shown to have …

Systematic Analysis Of Structure-Function Relationships Of Conserved Sequence Motifs In The Nadh-Binding Lobe Of Cytochrome B5 Reductase, Glenn W. Roma

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

NADH:Cytochrome b₅ Reductase (cb5r) catalyzes the reduction of the ferric iron (Fe³⁺) atom of the heme cofactor found within cytochrome b₅ (cb5) by the reduction of the FAD cofactor of cb₅r from reducing equivalents of the physiological electron donor, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). Cb5r is characterized by the presence of two domains necessary for proper enzyme function: a flavin-binding domain and a pyridine nucleotide-binding domain. Within these domains are highly conserved "motifs" necessary for the correct binding and orientation of both the NADH coenzyme and the FAD cofactor.

To address the importance …

A Cross-Cultural Transformation That Drew Boundaries: Matteo Ricci And His Mapmaking In Ming China, Suet Yee Shery Chanis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the cartographic works of Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), who spent his last twenty-seven years in Ming China. In particular, by focusing on Ricci's 1602 map, I examine the broader significance of Ricci's cartographic production to understand how it reflected early modern Chinese-European exchanges. In addition to the 1602 map, I use Ricci's letters to construct a framework for his cartographic involvement. In his writings, Ricci revealed his rationale for mapmaking and explained his collection of information. Only one year after his entry into China, in 1584, Ricci compiled a world map in the Chinese language and …

The Channel For Gay America? A Cultural Criticism Of The Logo Channel’S Commercial Success On American Cable Television, Michael Johnson Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Logo currently holds a self-described monopoly as the "Gay Channel for America." Logo stands alone as the single most concentrated national-level vehicle of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered) visibility in the post millennial television era. The Logo Channel has reaped financial rewards from its strategy as a business entity, as LGBT American television viewers embraced its presence as a signifier to America that gays and lesbians have finally "made it".

First, any claim to a monopoly deserves critical attention for its place in mainstream television, for its business practices, and for the power it holds in representing and targeting …

The Development And Validation Of The Perceived Workplace Civility Climate Scale, Raymond Charles Ottinot

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to extend the concept of safety climate into the aggression research domain. In order to address this goal I developed and validated the perceived workplace civility climate scale (PWCC), which assesses the extent to which employees perceive the importance an organization places upon managing and preventing acts of incivility and verbally aggressive actions in the workplace. The factor analytic results produced three factors: (1) Intolerance, (2) Response, and (3) Policies and Procedures. All dimensions demonstrated adequate reliability and correlated significantly to hypothesized stressors and strains. Lastly, correlation results (i.e., convergence) between self- and peer …

A Survey Of Ncaa Division 1 Strength And Conditioning Coaches- Characteristics And Opinions, Jeremy Powers

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The role of the Strength & Conditioning coach (SCC) has increased dramatically in collegiate athletics over the past 30 years. The SCC now spends more time with the athletes than even the individual sport coaches do because of NCAA rules. Despite the importance of the SCC, little is known as to what makes a good SCC and what a typical SCC is like currently. Limited amounts of research have been conducted to determine the characteristics and opinions of this specific population.

The main role of a SCC is to enhance athletic performance of the athletes at a university. They achieve …

Service Utilization Among Bereaved Spouses And Family Caregivers, Elizabeth J. Bergman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For family caregivers, response to the death of the care recipient is marked by a high degree of variability. In recognition of this variability, a range of services and interventions is available to assist individuals in the adjustment to bereavement. The present dissertation, consisting of three related studies, was conducted to examine the utilization of bereavement services by family caregivers.

The first study examined the role of psychological distress in the utilization of bereavement services by spousal caregivers in the Changing Lives of Older Couples (CLOC) study. The second study examined bereavement service utilization among dementia caregiver participants in the …

Identity, Desire And Spectatorship: An Examination Of Germaine Dulac’S La Coquille Et Le Clergyman, Jennifer A. Melko

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Germaine Dulac's 1928 avant-garde film, La Coquille et le Clergyman, based on a script written by Antonin Artaud, presents the idea of the woman as an object of desire, subjected to the male gaze through the cinematic process. Not only is the lone female character the object of desire of her two male suitors on screen, but she also becomes the object of desire for the presumably male viewer of the film, who has become a silent character in the film. Rather than simply being the spectator, the viewer's own identity becomes entwined with that of the on screen …

Kandinsky’S Dissonance And A Schoenbergian View Of Composition Vi, Shannon M. Annis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I clarify the relationship between Wassily Kandinsky's move towards abstraction in painting and his encounters with the music and theory of Arnold Schoenberg. Prior studies have concentrated on the similarities in their theories, but I examine Kandinsky [sic] idiosyncratic understanding of Schoenbergian concepts and the evolution of his engagement with music theory over the period of 1909 to 1914. I identify dissonance as the aspect of Schoenberg's music and theory that Kandinsky found most relevant to his own developing compositional theory for abstract painting. In music, dissonance is commonly considered to be combinations of tones that sound …

Toward The Synthesis Of Designed Metal-Organic Materials, Jacilynn A. Brant

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Metal-Organic Materials (MOMs) are an emerging class of crystalline solids that offer the potential for utilitarian design, as one of the greatest scientific challenges is to design functional materials with foreordained properties and eventually synthesize custom designed compounds for projected applications. Polytopic organic ligands with accessible heteroatom donor groups coordinate to single-metal ions and/or metal clusters to generate networks of various dimensionality. Advancements in synthesis of solid-state materials have greatly impacted many areas of research, including, but not limited to, communication, computing, chemical manufacturing, and transportation.

Design approaches based on building blocks provide a means to conquer the challenge of …

Two Essays On Multiple Directorships, Chia-Wei Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation includes two related chapters that investigate the value of multiple directorships. In the first chapter, I focus on potential tradeoffs between the costs and benefits of multiple directorships held by outside directors and attempt to determine how firm characteristics affect such tradeoffs. It is widely believed that outside directors of a firm play important functions of monitoring and advising. As a result, the basic hypothesis of the first essay is that multiple directorships by outside directors can have different implications for firms that have different levels of monitoring and advising needs. Consistent with this hypothesis, the evidence suggests …

Relationships Among Language Use, Phonological Skill, And Vocabulary In English Language Learning Preschoolers, Timothy D. Hill

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study present study explored the relationships among language use, phonological skill, and vocabulary development for 36 Cuban and Puerto Rican ELL preschoolers. Family-level variables included mother's education level and mother's language ability. Three-way ANOVAs were used to investigate the relationships among child- and family-level variables and children's performance on articulation (completeness of phonetic inventory (CPI) and proportion of whole-word proximity (PWP)) and language measures (Picture Vocabulary (PV) and Memory for Sentences (MS) subtests of the WLPB-R) in English and Spanish. Regression and correlational analyses were conducted to describe relationships between variables.

Findings indicated that children in all language …

Religious Exiles And Emigrants: The Changing Face Of Zoroastrianism, Tara Angelique Migliore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Zoroastrianism was founded by the prophet Zarathushtra ca 1400 to 1200 BCE and is generally acknowledged as the world's oldest monotheistic and revealed religion. It dominated three great Iranian empires, and influenced Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Mahayana Buddhism. At one point in time, their numbers surely seemed limitless. Today, however, roughly 150,000 Zoroastrians are scattered all over the globe in very small numbers. The faith is at a crossroads, and its very existence is threatened.

This is an examination of the decline and subsequent change of this previously influential and vital religion. Zoroastrians have been able to maintain the major …

The Effect Of Multidimensional Information Presentation On The Effectiveness And Efficiency Of A Spatial Accounting Judgment, John K. Tan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study is the first in a series of planned studies on the application of multidimensional visualization of business information and data within the context of accounting. The study's research question is: When is multidimensional visualization of information a better problem representation, improving both the effectiveness and efficiency of a spatial accounting judgment?

To examine when multidimensional visualization can assist auditors in configural cue pattern recognition, the study employs the traditional DuPont analysis as the three pieces of key information to be represented on the X, Y, and Z axes of a single 3-D perspective display. To help determine when …

Directed Self-Assembly Of Gold Nanorods Using Surface Modification, David A. Walker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Metallic nanoparticles are unique materials for optical, electronic, catalytic, and sensing applications. Due to the vast flexibility in controlling the surface chemistry of these particles through functionalization there is a great deal of interest in using metallic nanoparticles as building blocks in the development of more complex nanostructures through the use of a 'bottom-up' approach. Using self assembly techniques, one can exploit spontaneous chemical interactions to build complex constructs on the nanometer scale.

Towards this end, gold nanorods have been synthesized and modified with various polymers, inorganic oxides and organic ligands to establish principles for self-assembly of these unique nanomaterials. …

A Biomechanical Evaluation Of A Novel Surgical Reconstruction Technique Of The Ulnar Collateral Ligament Of The Elbow Joint, Nicole Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to biomechanically evaluate a novel Double bundle technique for UCL reconstruction designed to accelerate recovery time and minimize gap formation. Excluding UCL surgery, ligament reconstruction procedures typically require an average of 6 months of recovery time. UCL reconstructive surgery requires approximately 1-2 years of recovery time. Valgus instability of the elbow is characterized by attenuation, or frank rupture of the UCL from repetitive and excessive valgus loads. This research compared the valgus stability, gap formation, and ultimate strength that resulted from the cyclic valgus loading at 30 ° of flexion of 3 techniques for …

Role Of Foxo Factors As The Nuclear Mediator For Pten-Ar Antagonism In Prostate Cancer Cells, Qiuping Ma

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

FoxO proteins are transcriptional factors acting downstream of the tumor suppressor PTEN. Their activity is negatively regulated by AKT-mediated phosphorylation. Our previous studies showed a mutual suppression between PTEN and the androgen receptor (AR) in regulating growth and apoptosis in prostate cancer (PCa) cells. We hypothesize that nuclear FoxO proteins are involved in mediating this mutual antagonism. In this dissertation, we report that PTEN inhibits AR activity through FoxO1 and provide evidence for the involvement of FoxO factors in the androgen-mediated suppression of PTEN-induced apoptosis. Our studies identify a novel mechanism for AR inhibition by FoxO1 and demonstrated the participation …

Structural Diversity In Metal-Organic Materials, Gregory J. Mcmanus

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The interest in metal-organic materials namely, coordination polymers and metal-organic frameworks has risen dramatically over the past few years. To a certain extent this interest is a consequence of the realization chemists have discovered how to play a form of molecular Lego® in which metal cations or metal clusters represent the bricks (or nodes) and organic ligands such as 4,4-bipyridine (bipy) or benzene-dicarboxylate represents the glue (or spacers). The "node-and-spacer" approach to self-assembly can be invoked in such a manner that a plethora of infinite architectures and discrete polyhedra can be generated from geometric principles, some of which are unprecedented …

Gardens At Home, Gardens At School: Diet And Food Crop Diversity In Two Q'Eqchi' Communities In Southern Belize, Douglas Carl Reeser

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A district-wide school garden project has been initiated in the Toledo District of Southern Belize in response to reported high rates of poverty and undernutrition. This paper will discuss research conducted in the summer of 2007 with Q'eqchi' Maya in the Toledo District to determine the effect of school gardens on household diet and gardening, the composition of the household diet, and the makeup of homegardens. Food frequency questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were conducted in two rural villages, one with a school garden program and one without. Various members of NGOs working on school garden projects in the district were …

Can Using One Trainer Solely To Deliver Prompts And Feedback During Role Plays Increase Correct Performance Of Parenting Skills In A Behavioral Parent Training Program?, Michael M. Cripe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Behavioral Parent Training refers to a broad range of instructional programs that teach parents and other caregivers ways to build and change behavioral repertoires of children. Most, if not all, such programs employ Behavioral Skills Training (modeling, prompting, role-play practice and feedback) to teach parenting skills. However, specific ways to use prompting during role plays have not been described in the behavioral parent training literature. The present study compared two methods of conducting role plays during parent training. A between group, pretest/posttest design was used to evaluate and compare the effect of using one versus two trainers on the role-play …

Effects Of Supervisor’S Presence On Staff Response To Tactile Prompts And Self-Monitoring In A Group Home Setting, Judy M. Mowery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Staff management research in group home settings has involved direct observation of staff performance during pre-treatment and treatment conditions. Collecting accurate research data is crucial to analyze treatment effects; however, reactivity to being observed has been cited as a limitation in several studies. The current study evaluated the use of a tactile prompt, self-monitoring, and feedback to increase positive interaction in a group home setting. Direct support professional staff were trained on the purpose and use of the MotivAider which provided tactile prompts to remind them to engage in positive client interaction. Reactivity was assessed by having a confederate observe …

Health Decision Behaviors: Appropriateness Of Dietary Choice, Daryle Hermelin Wane

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dietary choice is a complex mechanism that is influenced by multiple internal and external factors that impact individuals across the life span. The study was designed to examine how individuals make snack food choices based on integration of food motives (cues), appropriateness (nutritional index) as functions of nutritional knowledge, food-related motives, and information processing styles. Community college students participated in a multi part on line survey that ascertained food motives (FCQ), nutrition knowledge (FNQ), information processing (NFC), food pairing task and demographic background data. The single sided Lens model was used to determine the regression weights of the nine food …

Regional Differences In Demographic Characteristics, Professional Practices, And Employment Conditions Of School Psychologists Across The United States, Dama W. Abshier

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The field of school psychology has grown tremendously within the past 100 years, and legislation has played a major role in many changes related to the field. A review of the literature revealed that many studies have been conducted that explored demographic information, professional practices, and employment conditions. The studies tend to be somewhat narrow in focus (e.g., one study may look at demographic characteristics, while another considers only professional practices) and consider state differences rather than regional differences. In accordance with a policy established by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) that a study be conducted every five …

Perceptions Of Programming: Cultivation And Third Person Influences On College Students, Suzette Marie Fisher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There have been many studies conducted on television and its effects. Since the 1950's, when television emerged, there has been an influx of patterns and behaviors associated with television viewing and programming. Many researchers are fascinated with television and the reactions of those who are directly affected by it. People have been known to act out in many ways as a result of something they saw on television. Many believe that television viewing directly affects a person's mind.

An analysis of the results of this qualitative study indicates that college students perceive television has an impact on viewers. Throughout the …

Mechanical Properties Of Particulate-Reinforced Boron Carbide Composites, Lorenzo W. Hankla

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The mechanical properties of boron carbide (B₄C) with 10 and 20 vol% particulate inclusions of commercially available nano-sized alpha-phase silicon carbide (a-SiC) or micron-sized titanium diboride (TiB₂) were investigated so as to produce a fine-grained material with high hardness, toughness, and overall strength in order to increase the effectiveness of B₄C as a structural ceramic, whose use in the field has been limited because of the extreme brittle nature of the material.

Full density sintering of the ceramics (≥99% theoretical) was completed using the novel Plasma Pressure Compaction (P²C®) technique, which limited grain growth …

Molecular Mechanism Of Aurora-A Kinase In Human Oncogenesis, Lili He

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Aurora-A is a mitotic kinase, which regulates cell cycle progression through modulating centrosome function. Aurora-A expression is frequently altered in human malignancies. The discrepancy between overexpression and amplification suggests that elevated Aurora-A level is likely to be regulated also by transcriptional and/or translational modifications. In this study, we have demonstrated: 1) transcriptional regulation of Aurora-A by E2F3; 2) feedback regulation between tumor suppressor CHFR and Aurora-A; 3) CNTD2 as a novel Aurora-A partner and oncogene to activate Aurora-A and induce transformation.

Aurora-A expression and activity are cell cycle regulated. The mechanism of Aurora-A upregulation at onset of mitosis is largely …

Improving Staff Performance By Enhancing Staff Training Procedures And Organizational Behavior Management Procedures, Dennis Martin Mcclelland Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ability of direct care staff members to carry out behavior programs, specific protocols written by a behavior analyst, or recommendations made after completion of a functional behavioral assessment is an essential tool needed for such documents to actually be meaningful to patients. Since direct care staff members spend the most time directly working with patients, it is imperative that they carry out intervention procedures with reliability and fidelity. This study evaluated the effectiveness of staff training procedures as well as organizational behavior management techniques used to ensure that staff members are equipped with the tools they need and are …

Investigating Environmental Change Due To Hypoxic Conditions On The Louisiana Continental Shelf: A Geochemical Approach, Marianne E. Dietz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Louisiana (LA) shelf is chronically affected by seasonal hypoxia that has been shown to be spatially expanding and growing progressively more severe. Hypoxic conditions on the shelf have been closely linked to the large quantities of nutrients delivered to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River. Multiple geochemical proxies on a suite of sediment cores from the LA shelf provide a record of environmental change that parallels the onset of hypoxic conditions over the last century and prior to anthropogenic influences. The sedimentary record for the last century shows a shift from terrestrial to algal sources to the …