Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Effects Of Community-Based Service-Learning On Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs About Equitable Science Teaching And Learning, Neporcha T. Cone

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996) and Science for all Americans (AAAS, 1989) explicitly state that all students regardless of their age, cultural or ethnic backgrounds, gender, abilities, aspirations, or interest in science should have access to equitable educational resources in science. These equitable resources also include access to efficacious teachers of all students. However, the Standards fail to explicate what practices, if any, lead to the development of these teachers. The primary purpose of this study was to identify teacher education practices that positively influenced preservice elementary teachers' self-efficacy beliefs about equitable science teaching and learning. More specifically, …

Herbivory By Leaf Miners On Florida Scrub Oaks, Tatiana Cornelissen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated effects of plant quality and natural enemies on the abundance and survivorship of several leaf miner species on Florida scrub oaks over several ecological scales. Three oak species (Quercus laevis, Q. geminata, and Q. myrtifolia) and four leafminer species (Acrocercops albinatella, Brachys tesselatus, Stilbosis quadripustulatus, and Cameraria sp. nova) were the main focus of five separate studies, addressing effects of bottom-up and top-down factors at regional, local, and individual scales. At the regional scale, it was observed that Cameraria sp. nova was aggregated into sites, and sites closer to …

Behavioral And Auditory Evoked Potential (Aep) Hearing Measurements In Odontocete Cetaceans, Mandy Lee Hill Cook

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and other odontocete cetaceans rely on sound for communication, navigation, and foraging. Therefore, hearing is one of their primary sensory modalities. Both natural and anthropogenic noise in the marine environment could mask the ability of free-ranging dolphins to detect sounds, and chronic noise exposure could cause permanent hearing losses. In addition, several mass strandings of odontocete cetaceans, especially beaked whales, have been correlated with military exercises involving mid-frequency sonar, highlighting unknowns regarding hearing sensitivity in these animals.Auditory evoked potential (AEP) methods are attractive over traditional behavioral methods for measuring the hearing of marine mammals because they …

A Descriptive Analysis Of The Relationship Between Specific Teacher Characteristics And Teacher Efficacy In Florida’S Low-Performing Public High Schools, Pamela S. Craig

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to collect data to determine the specific characteristics (gender, level and area of degree status, certification status, pedagogical training, gender, number of years of teaching experience, number of years teaching at the current school, and courses currently taught) of language arts teachers at Florida's low-performing pubic high schools and compare these characteristics to teachers' sense of efficacy (the extent to which teachers' believe they have the ability to bring about changes in student achievement independent of the student's background, behaviors, or motivation level). A total of 615 teachers representing 84 schools in 36 districts participated in …

Biomechanical Evaluation Of Independent Transfers And Pressure Relief Tasks In Persons With Sci: Pilot Study, Tony J. Cresta

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Persons with paraplegia who use a manual wheelchair for mobility are at high risk for overuse injuries in the upper extremities. Years of shoulder overuse performing transfers, wheelchair propulsion, dressing, bathing, and household chores, (activities of daily living or ADL) leads to an increased incidence of cumulative trauma to the shoulders. Few studies have addressed the stressful task of wheelchair transfers among SCI individuals. The goal of this pilot study is to develop valid and reliable measurement technologies to quantify shoulder musculoskeletal stressors during wheelchair transfers and pressure relief tasks among individuals with SCI. Using a standard wheelchair, 10 participants …

Parent Involvement: Differences Between African Americans And European Americans In One Florida School District, Michelle Darter-Lagos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to (a) analyze perceptions of parent involvement across raters (i.e., seventh grade students versus their parents) and across ethnicity (i.e., African American versus European American), and (b) examine how perceptions of parent involvement are related to academic achievement. A subsample of archival survey data collected in one central Florida school district was analyzed for the current study. Findings revealed a positive but weak relationship between students' and parents' perceptions of parent involvement regardless of ethnicity. Significant differences were found in the perceived levels of involvement by ethnicity, even when controlling for SES. In …

Risk And Protective Factors Related To Resilience In Adolescents In An Alternative Education Program, Kelly M. Crawford

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Using a multivariate correlational design, this study was designed to determine the degree to which selected risk and protective factors were related to resilience in an at-risk student population. A total of 12 individual, family and external risk and protective factors were identified and data were collected from 142 6th through 11th grade students in an alternative education program for individuals who had committed severe behavioral infractions. A series of multiple regression analyses were conducted using three outcome variables: a rating of students' resilient behavior, number of behavior referrals in the students' records, and standardized reading achievement scores. Five percent …

Reconstructing 20th Century Sst Variability In The Southwest Pacific: A Replication Study Using Multiple Coral Sr/Ca Records From New Caledonia, Kristine L. Delong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coral-based climate reconstructions typically have not used multiple cores from a region to capture and replicate a climate signal largely because of concerns focused on coral conservation, analytical expense, and time constraints. Coral Sr/Ca reproducibility through the 20th century was investigated using three intra-colony and three inter-colony coral records, from the reefs offshore of Amédée Island, New Caledonia. Different sampling resolutions were examined in coral Sr/Ca (fortnightly and monthly) and delta 18O (fortnightly, monthly, and seasonally) as well as similar scale subsampling of the daily in situ SST record. The mean coral Sr/Ca, delta 18O, and daily SST values do …

Some Problems On Products Of Random Matrices, Edgardo S. Cureg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We consider three problems in this dissertation, all under the unifying theme of random matrix products. The first and second problems are concerned with weak convergence in stochastic matrices and circulant matrices, respectively, and the third is concerned with the numerical calculation of the Lyapunov exponent associated with some random Fibonacci sequences. Stochastic matrices are nonnegative matrices whose row sums are all equal to 1. They are most commonly encountered as transition matrices of Markov chains. Circulant matrices, on the other hand, are matrices where each row after the first is just the previous row cyclically shifted to the right …

Pain As A Motivator Of Smoking: Effects Of Pain Induction On Smoking Urge And Behavior, Joseph W. Ditre

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Tobacco smoking has been associated with the development, protraction, and exacerbation of chronically painful conditions. Conversely, there is reason to believe that smokers may be motivated to use tobacco as a means of coping with their pain. To date, no controlled, experimental studies have tested for a causal relationship between pain and smoking motivation. The primary aim of the current study was to test the hypothesis that laboratory-induced cold-pressor pain would enhance smoking motivation, as measured by self-reported urge to smoke and observation of immediate smoking behavior. The effect of a smoking cue was also tested. Smokers (n = 132) …

The Commodification Of Yoga In Contemporary U.S. Culture, Michelle E. Demeter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Yoga is an increasingly visible and versatile commodity in the United States health market. Though its origins stretch to pre-Vedic India and its traditional religious purpose is linked to Hinduism, it is evident that yoga has undergone much change since its transmission to U.S. culture. In its popular, widespread incarnation in the United States, yoga is not usually learned at the feet of a guru, but at exercise centers and gyms. These secular locales of yoga's practice help define the "yoga phenomenon" in contemporary America. This phenomenon has resulted in yoga's wide acceptance and high visibility in American popular culture …

The Identification Of Functional, Sequestered, Symbiotic Chloroplasts In Elysia Clarki: A Crucial Step In The Study Of Horizontally Transferred, Nuclear Algal Genes, Nicholas E. Curtis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A comparison of Elysia (=Tridachia) crispata (Mörch, 1863) from the Virgin Islands with elysiid slugs from the mangrove swamps and canals in the Florida Keys that have previously been identified as E. crispata reveals many differences in habitat, gross and microscopic anatomy, food preferences of juveniles, sources of symbiotic chloroplasts and their localization within the digestive tubules, radular morphology, and nucleic acid sequences of two genes. The differences between the two groups of slugs are such that the Florida Keys animals are considered to represent a new species, Elysia clarki. Elysia clarki feeds on siphonaceous algae, and intracellularly sequesters the …

Rapid Detection Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis In Lung Tissue Using A Fiber Optic Biosensor, Kimberly A. Denton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is no rapid diagnostic technique at medical examiners' offices to determine if a decedent is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Present diagnostic testing requires at least one month for results. A biosensor-based sandwich immunoassay for the detection of M. tuberculosis was developed in this study. M. tuberculosis polyclonal antibody was used for target antigen capture and detection in the immunoassay. Live attenuated M. tuberculosis (ATCC 25177) suspended in phosphate-buffered saline with 0.1% Tween 20 was used as the antigen in the detection assay. The Analyte 2000 was the initial biosensor platform. Initial testing was of Freund's adjuvant complete. M. tuberculosis …

The Role Of Src Homology 2 Domain Containing Inositol-5’-Phosphatase 1 (Ship) In Hematopoietic Cells, Caroline Desponts

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The principal isoform of Src homology (SH) 2-domain containing 5' inositol phosphatase protein 1 (SHIP) is a 145kDa protein primarily expressed by cells of the hematopoietic compartment. The enzymatic activity of SHIP is responsible for hydrolyzing the 5' phosphate of phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PI(3,4,5)P3), and thereby preventing the recruitment of pleckstrin homology domain containing effector proteins. Furthermore, SHIP contains protein-protein interaction domains, such as an SH2 domain, two NPXY and several proline-rich motifs. All of these different domains endow SHIP with the capacity to impact signaling pathways important for proliferation, survival, differentiation and activation. Therefore, we hypothesized that SHIP-deficiency could result in …

Evaluation Of Certain Exponential Sums Of Quadratic Functions Over A Finite Field Of Odd Characteristic, Sandra D. Draper

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Let p be an odd prime, and define f(x) as follows: f(x) as the sum from 1 to k of a_i times x raised to the power of (p to the power of (alpha_i+1)) in F_(p to the power of n)[x] where 0 is less than or equal to alpha_1 < alpha_2 < ... < alpha_k where alpha_k is equal to alpha. We consider the exponential sum S(f, n) equal to the sum_(x as x runs over the finite field with (p to the n elements) of zeta_(p to the power of Tr_n (f(x))), where zeta_p equals e to the power of (2i times pi divided by p) and Tr_n is the trace from the finite field with p to the n elements to the finite field with p elements.We provide necessary background from number theory and review the basic facts about quadratic forms over a finite field with p elements through both the multivariable and single variable approach. Our main objective is to compute S(f, n) explicitly. The sum S(f, n) is determined by two quantities: the nullity and the type of the quadratic form Tr_n (f(x)).

We give an effective algorithm for the computation of the nullity. Tables of numerical values of the nullity are included. However, the type is more subtle and more difficult to determine. Most of our investigation concerns the type. We obtain "relative formulas" for S(f, mn) in terms of S(f, n) …

The Impacts Of The Handoffs On Software Development: A Cost Estimation Model, Michael Jay Douglas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Effective software cost estimation is one of the most challenging and important activities in software development. The software industry does not estimate projects well. Poor estimation leads to poor project planning with resulting schedule overruns, inadequate staffing, low system quality, and many aborted projects. Research on software estimation is needed to build more accurate models of the key aspects of software development. The goals of research in this dissertation are to investigate and improve the modeling of team size and project structures in current software estimation methods.Mathematical models for estimating the impacts of project team size and three variations of …

Community Structure, Faunal Distribution, And Environmental Forcing Of The Extinction Of Marine Molluscs In The Pliocene San Joaquin Basin, Central California, John Richard Bowersox

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on reconstructing the dynamics within the Pliocene San Joaquin Basin (SJB) molluscan fauna. This was accomplished by 'binning' the data within a constrained chronostratigraphic framework into: 1) 484 individual stratigraphically-ordered locality collections; 2.) 116 stratigraphically-sequential compiled ten-meter sample intervals; 3.) 15 intervals compiled by 4th-order eustatic cycles; 4.) three formation-level compiled samples; and 5.) the Etchegoin group fauna (informal San Joaquin Basin nomenclature) overall. These datasets were analyzed by inferential, multivariate, and descriptive statistics to examine local and regional environmental controls on faunal composition, community associations and distributions; cross-scale faunal structure; and large-scale environmental controls on immigration, …

Drug Resistant Patterns Of Invasive Streptococcus Pneumoniae Infections In The State Of Florida In 2003, Michael T. Drennon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major bacterial pathogen which causes pneumoniae, meningitis, otitis media, and bacteremia. Currently there are two vaccines available, Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPV) for adults and the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) for children. The PCV vaccine was developed in 2000 specifically for children and infants due to the ineffectiveness of the PPV vaccine in children. This is a cross sectional study of invasive S. pneumoniae in Florida during 2003. This study is designed to determine the population characteristics, clinically relevant antibiotic resistance patterns and specific risk factors for development of antibiotic resistance of invasive S. pneumoniae. Participants for …

Improving Long-Term Resettlement Services For Refugees, Asylees, And Asylum-Seekers: Perspectives From Service Providers, Kristina M. Dunman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, rights of asylum and refuge are extended to people who can prove that they have been politically persecuted. Resettlement services for refugees and asylees often focus on the short-term acquisition of employment and English language skills. These policies ignore the long-term complexities involved in reestablishing individual and group identities after war trauma and resettlement. This research is an investigation into the perspectives of service providers who work with refugees, asylees, and asylum-seekers on the need for more comprehensive, long-term services to assist in the months and years following resettlement, and on potential programs to address those …

Charaterization Of Asbestos Exposure Among Automotive Mechanics Servicing And Handling Asbestos-Containing Materials, Gary Scott Dotson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The historic use of asbestos-containing materials during the manufacturing of automobiles has resulted in a perception of an increased risk of asbestos-related pulmonary diseases within mechanics. This study was conducted to assess the potential asbestos exposures mechanics encounter while servicing vehicles assembled with parts containing asbestos, in addition to compare the cumulative lifetime asbestos exposures for different maintenance activities against theorical threshold exposures for asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. Exposure data were assembled from four independent exposure assessments performed to elucidate the airborne asbestos levels generated during the removal and replacement of brakes, gaskets, clutches and seam sealants containing asbestos. …

Optical Imaging Of Radiolabeled Drugs In Tissue Sections Using The Microimager, Paul Dungel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The MicroImager is a fast, high resolution, real time, digital autoradiographic imaging tool with broad applications. This study utilizes the MicroImager to evaluate radiolabeled drug behavior in subcutaneous tissue. Experiments were conducted in conjunction with mathematical models to determine the diffusion coefficient (D) and elimination constant (k) for radiolabeled dexamethasone. Osmotic pumps containing [3H]dexamethasone were implanted into rat subcutaneous tissue over 6h, 24 h, and 60 h. Local tissue was explanted and slides were prepared for imaging. The MicroImager was then used to quantify the local concentration of 3H-dexamethasone in the tissue surrounding the tip of the osmotic pump. Betavision+ …

Evaluation Of The Long-Term Effect Of Inorganic Leachate On Geosynthetic Clay Liners, Darwish El-Hajji

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Because of its low permeability and high swelling characteristics, bentonite is used in various hydraulic barrier systems and in the manufacturing of Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GCLs). Exposure to inorganic solutions containing elevated concentrations of electrolyte can significantly increase their permeability. To enhance the bentonite's chemical resistance to inorganic solutions, the manufacturers of GCL materials introduced propriety soluble polymeric compounds as an additive to bentonite. The resulting materials are referred to as polymer-treated, chemically-enhanced, or contaminant-resistant clays, and are arguably resistant to a host of inorganic chemicals. In this study, the response of both regular and polymer treated bentonite clays to …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between The Presence Of Critical Components Of Classroom Positive Behavior Support And Student Behavior, Gregory S. Ern

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between the presence of classroom components of positive behavior support and student behavior outcomes. Data were collected using the Tool for Assessing Classroom Level-Positive Behavior Support (TACL-PBS) developed by Ern (2004) to assess the presence or absence of critical components of positive behavior support at the classroom level. Descriptive data on the instrument including the internal consistency, interrater agreement, and concurrent validity were analyzed and are included in this report. Forty classrooms from ten diverse elementary schools in three school districts were selected to participate in this study. Office discipline …

Storm-Influenced Sediment Transport Gradients On A Nourished Beach, Nicole A. Elko

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Beach nourishment provides an excellent opportunity for the study of intensified sediment transport gradients and associated morphological changes in a natural setting. The objectives of this study are to quantify and predict longshore and cross-shore transport gradients induced by 1) beach nourishment, 2) different storm wave conditions, and 3) the annual wave climate and long-term sediment supply. The details of sediment transport rates and gradients induced by gradual processes and high-energy events are analyzed on a macro-scale. Well-planned monitoring of the 2004 Upham Beach nourishment project in west-central Florida collected high-spatial and -temporal resolution field data. Three hurricanes passed by …

Vibration Level Characterization From A Needle Gun Used On U.S. Naval Vessels, Scott E. Dunn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

United States (U.S.) Navy sailors are exposed to a very large number of hazards, both chemical and physical. Occupational vibration from pneumatic air tools is one of the potential exposure hazards. There are very limited data as to the exposures to one type of tool, a needle gun or needle scaler, used by the sailors.The purpose of this study was to characterize the vibration levels generated by a needle gun used in the U.S. Navy. The design of the study evaluated the difference pressure had on the acceleration levels generated from the needle scaler. Five subjects were used in the …

Teachers’ Literacy Beliefs And Their Students’ Conceptions About Reading And Writing, Mildred Falcã³N-Huertas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This investigation examined first-grade teachers' literacy beliefs and practices and its relationship with their students' conceptions about reading and writing. For the first part of the study a sample of 76 first-grade teachers, from two school districts in Puerto Rico, completed the Literacy Orientation Survey (LOS). The combined score of the LOS was calculated and used to categorize teachers according to their literacy beliefs and practices as constructivist, eclectic, or traditional. After matching by years of experience and educational level, a stratified random sample of six teachers, two from each literacy viewpoint (traditional, eclectic, and constructivist), and 48 first-grade students …

An Examination Of The Experiences Of Five African American Male Students With Regard To School Discipline Practices, Simon Yohann Earle

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There are numerous studies that address the issue of discipline practices in schools. Within the last decade there have been an increasing number of scholars and school district personnel who have written about discipline, and more specifically, the discipline of specific populations of students such as African Americans. Although many of these studies address the disparate disciplinary practices that occur in many school districts, little attention is devoted to how students understand these practices in the larger context of their general school experiences. This research intends to fill the void in the literature that utilizes the experiences of students to …

Monitoring And Modeling Water Quality At The C.W. Young Regional Reservoir, Daniel Robert Dye

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work explores the relationship between nutrient loading and changes in water quality in a sub-tropical, above-ground, off-stream municipal water supply reservoir, the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir. The three source waters for the reservoir have varied but high levels of nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen. In other reservoirs, these nutrients have been linked to deterioration of water quality and increased expense in water treatment. The need to minimize excess nutrients results led to the primary research question: what allocation of withdrawals from the three sources will minimize the deterioration of water quality? To answer this question, the relationship …

Alcohol Expectancy Cognitions: Psychophysiological Perspective, Inna Fishman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Considerable evidence indicates that the expectations individuals hold about the effects of alcohol determine, to a degree, the amount of alcohol they drink. However, the bulk of this evidence was acquired using verbally-based measures of expectancy. The present study sought to extend the validation network by utilizing an electrophysiological measure -- the P300 component of the Event Related Potentials (ERPs) --

which is thought to index fundamental neurophysiological processes sensitive to expectancy.Previous research has demonstrated that, when presented with various outcomes of alcohol consumption, heavier drinkers endorse statements that assert positive and arousing effects of alcohol, while lighter drinkers endorse …

Nurse Exposure To Waste Anesthetic Gases In A Post Anesthesia Care Unit, Larry A. Flack

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It has been estimated that over 200,000 healthcare professionals may be exposed to waste anesthetic gases and are at risk of occupational injury. In 1977, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) issued the publication: Criteria for a Recommended Standard....Occupational Exposure to Waste Anesthetic Gases and Vapors. This publication was based primarily on scientific evidence from human and animal studies suggesting that chronic exposures to anesthetic gases increases the risk of both spontaneous abortion and congenital abnormalities in offspring among female workers and wives of male workers exposed to waste anesthetic gases. In this recommended standard, NIOSH defines …