Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Characterization Of The Western Antarctic Peninsula Ecosystem: Environmental Controls On The Zooplankton Community, Marina Marrari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The zooplankton community of Marguerite Bay, western Antarctic Peninsula, was investigated in relation to variability in chlorophyll concentrations and sea ice dynamics, using a combination of satellite remote sensing techniques and plankton net data. SeaWiFS chlorophyll data were validated with concurrent in situ data measured by HPLC and fluoromentric methods, and results indicate that SeaWiFS chlorophyll is an accurate measure of in situ values when HPLC data are used as ground truth.

Climatology data of SeaWiFS chlorophyll west of the Antarctic Peninsula showed that the Bellingshausen Sea and Marguerite Bay usually had higher and more persistent chlorophyll concentrations compared with …

The Moderating Influence Of Cultural Dimensions On The Relationship Between Role Stressors, Job Satisfaction, And Organizational Commitment, Haitham A. Khoury

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the implications of cultural dimensions on the relationship between job satisfaction facets, role stressors, and organizational commitment. Using data from 214 university employees, the moderating influence of individualistic and collectivistic orientations as expressed through four cultural dimensions (responsibility, affiliation, social welfare, and achievement) on those relationships were investigated. Results indicated that role ambiguity had a greater negative influence on affective commitment for those who were more cooperative as opposed to competitive in their achievement orientation; whereas the relationship between coworker and supervision satisfaction and affective commitment was stronger for those who endorsed …

Beyond The Barriers: A Qualitative Investigation Into The Experiences Of General Pediatricians Working With Young Children Exhibiting Developmental Delays And Disabilities, Kahlila Genese Mack

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

General pediatricians are typically the first professionals to detect the early developmental concerns of young children during their infant and toddler stages. When concerns are identified by the general pediatrician, best practice encourages the referral of young children for further assessment and/or intervention. Due to these factors, this study focused on the methods general pediatricians use in their efforts to implement the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines for the developmental surveillance and screening of young children. Furthermore, this study focused on the barriers faced by general pediatricians and the solutions they have developed to overcome these barriers in their …

Modulation Of Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cell Maturation And Function By Cigarette Smoke Condensate In A Bronchial Epithelial Cell Co-Culture Model, Alison J. Montpetit

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lung airway epithelium is the first line of defense against inhaled particulates such as cigarette smoke. Subepithelial dendritic cells (DC) survey the airway epithelial lining and represent the link between innate and adaptive immune response. No study has investigated the effect of cigarette smoke on DC in the presence of epithelial cells (EC). The purpose of this 4x2 factorial design study was to co-culture normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells with monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDC) and examine the effect of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) and poly I:C stimulation (TLR3 ligand that mimics viral infection) on MDDC homotypic clustering, phagocytosis ability, …

A Stressor-Strain Model Of Organizational Citizenship Behavior And Counterproductive Work Behavior, Kimberly E. O'Brien

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior research has attempted to develop a model of organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) and counterproductive work behaviors (CWB), but limited testing remains a problem. The purpose of the current study is to examine OCB and CWB from a job stressor-strain approach. The sample consisted of 235 employees throughout the United States and their supervisors. Results of the study suggested OCB and CWB are affected by stressors (including interpersonal conflict, low interactional justice, job demands, and organizational constraints). Additionally, trait emotion and attributional styles affect the amount of stressors perceived. The implications as well as limitations of the study are discussed.

Remote Monitoring Systems For Substructural Health Monitoring, Jonathan D. Collins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Remote Wireless Monitoring Systems have made a large impact in the area of Structural Health Monitoring. However in the specialized sub-field of Substructural Health Monitoring, remote monitoring techniques have not made as much headway. First, monitoring systems are often retrofitted onto a structure. Therefore it is much harder to retrofit the substructure of a bridge or building. Second, many foundation elements such as driven piles or auger-cast piles are constructed in a way that makes installation difficult or can severely damage the sensing materials.

This thesis presents two case studies of Remote Monitoring Systems for Substructural Health Monitoring applications that …

The Social Construction Of A Special Needs Program For Hurricanes, Robert E. Tabler Jr., M.A., C.H.E.S.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The overall purpose of this exploratory study was to comprehend how in the event of a hurricane Hillsborough County, Florida protected its elderly and disabled residents with special medical needs. This study used Social Constructionist Theory as a framework and Grounded Theory methodology in the collection of qualitative data.

To understand stakeholder knowledge and how they constructed the SpNP, three focus groups were conducted, with representatives from agencies on the Planning Committee. Through 30 in-depth, semi-structured interviews, clients of the SpNP, provided insight into their knowledge of the program and how society influenced evacuation decisions. Finally, 10 in-depth, semi-structured interviews …

Orbital- To Millennial-Scale Variability In Gulf Of Mexico Sea Surface Temperature And Salinity During The Late Pleistocene, Jessica L. Whitaker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sea surface temperature (SST) reconstructions from the low latitudes indicate the tropics/subtropics warmed significantly before glacial-interglacial decreases in global ice volume, suggesting the importance of tropical and subtropical climate in driving glacial terminations.

ODP Site 625, drilled at a water depth of 889 m near De Soto Canyon in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), provides continuous records of marine isotope stages (MIS) 1-6 sampled at a mean temporal resolution of 400 years. Age control is based on 8 AMS radiocarbon dates, marine isotope stratigraphy, and Foraminifera datum levels. Results from Globigerinoides ruber (white variety) Mg/Ca-SST indicate a rise of 4.4 …

Explaining The Impact Of Work Interference With Family: The Role Of Work-Family Psychological Contract And Cultural Values, Xian Xu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to further understand the mechanisms through which work interference with family (WIF) influences important attitudinal, behavioral, and well-being outcomes. First, the study expands the content of employees' psychological contract through creating a measure of Work-Family Psychological Contract Breach (WFPCB). The study also examines the mediating role of WFPCB in the relations between WIF and work-related outcomes. Finally, the study explores potential cultural influences by looking at the moderating role of individualism-collectivism on the relations between WIF and WFPCB as well as between WFPCB and the outcomes. Research was carried out in three stages: 1) telephone interviews were …

Morphodynamics Of Two Anthropogenically Altered Tidal Inlets: New Pass And Big Sarasota Pass, West-Central Florida, Tanya M. Beck

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Time-series aerial photographs from 1943 to 2006, including three bathymetry surveys from 1888, 1953, and 2006, are analyzed and compared. The locations of three morphological features, including that of shoreline, offshore bars, and channel orientation, are delineated over the historical aerial photos in order to examine the morphodynamics of the system. Anthropogenic alteration of the New Pass and Big Sarasota Pass system is a crucial factor in controlling the morphodynamics.

Both New Pass and Big Sarasota Pass are mixed-energy tidal inlets with New Pass illustrating a straight morphology and Big Sarasota Pass a highly offset morphology. The sediment bypassing at …

The Far Reaching Impact Of Transformative Learning: A Critical Ethnographic Case Study, Aline E. Harrison

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This multiple case study focused on the lives and experiences of four women who participated in an adult literacy program. This case study approach used critical ethnography as an analytic tool employing grounded theory leading to the development of a substantive theory. In-depth, semi-structured interviews and researcher's reflective journal were employed to collect data for this study that critically examined the impact of the transformative process of its participants and its influence on their socio-cultural context. Results revealed that participants did not necessarily experience a disorienting dilemma as contended by Mezirow (1978, 1991, and 2000). Rather participants experienced a series …

Disgusted By Food: Explanatory Models Of Anorexia Among Young Taiwanese Adults, Donald E. Mclawhorn Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anorexia as a nosological category has developed in a western context and is now being applied to people around the world. In order for researchers to know they are asking the right questions about AN as knowledge expands, it is important to understand what meanings Anorexia carries and how those meanings manifest locally. The present study to aid in that understanding by employing a mixed methods (survey and in-depth interviewing) research approach in answering the following question: In what ways are Taiwanese students' explanatory models of anorexia nervosa (AN) congruent with or different from professional understandings derived from the western …

Quantifying Soil Organic Carbon (Soc) In Wetlands Impacted By Groundwater Withdrawals In West-Central Florida, Katherine Moore Powell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Saturated for most of the year, wetlands accumulate large amounts of biomass in thick organic soil horizons with slow rates of decomposition due to anaerobic conditions. Wetland soils thereby sequester large amounts of organic carbon in relative long-term storage. Municipal water demands in west-central Florida are largely met through extensive groundwater pumping. These withdrawals can impact ecosystems dependent on surface water levels that are ultimately linked to confined aquifers. Soils in a subset of cypress swamps that are monitored by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) were sampled and analyzed to ascertain the health of the wetlands impacted by …

The Meaning And Means Of Inclusion For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Qualitative Study Of Educators’ And Parents’ Attitudes, Beliefs, And Decision-Making Strategies, Jenine M. Sansosti

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The practice of inclusion, and even the term itself, have been the subject of controversy over the last several decades and it appears that "inclusion" may look very different depending upon the student, educator, and setting (Fuchs & Fuchs, 1994). Recently, placement in general education settings has become a dominant service delivery model for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), (Simpson & Myles, 1998), yet Individual Education Programs (IEPs) for students with ASD tend to be the most often disputed and often contain procedural errors, including failure to consider the Least Restrictive Mandate (Yell et al., 2003).

This study represents …

The Role Of Lifestyle Factors In Cognitive Aging And Dementia, Tiffany F. Hughes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is widely accepted that cognitive abilities decline with normal aging. At the same time it is also recognized that there is variability in the magnitude and rate of decline among aging individuals. A similar phenomenon exists for dementia, where individuals with similar neuropathologic burden present with varying degrees of cognitive impairment. Of importance is determining what factors account for this variability, and whether individuals can modify these factors in order to preserve their cognitive abilities with aging or delay the onset of dementia.

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine three potentially modifiable lifestyle factors' association with age-related …

Location Awareness In Cognitive Radio Networks, Hasari Celebi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cognitive radio is a recent novel approach for the realization of intelligent and sophisticated wireless systems. Although the research and development on cognitive radio is still in the stage of infancy, there are significant interests and efforts towards realization of cognitive radio. Cognitive radio systems are envisioned to support context awareness and related systems. The context can be spectrum, environment, location, waveform, power and other radio resources. Significant amount of the studies related to cognitive radio in the literature focuses on the spectrum awareness since it is one of the most crucial features of cognitive radio systems. However, the rest …

Detection Of Marine Vehicles In Images And Video Of Open Sea, Sergiy Fefilatyev

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work presents a new technique for automatic detection of marine vehicles in images and video of open sea. Users of such system include border guards, military, port safety, flow management, and sanctuary protection personnel. The source of images and video is a digital camera or a camcorder which is placed on a buoy or stationary mounted in a harbor facility. The system is intended to work autonomously, taking images of the surrounding ocean surface and analyzing them for the presence of marine vehicles. The goal of the system is to detect an approximate window around the ship. The proposed …

Behavior Contracting With Dependent Runaway Youth, Jessica Colon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The number of dependent youth reported as runaways to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has become an increasing concern to the Department of Children and Families (Child Welfare League of America, 2005). Youth under state supervision, who are reported as runaways, most often leave from foster care settings, although some youth are also reported as runaways from the homes of relatives, non-relatives, and biological parents (CWLA, 2005). Community based care (CBC) agencies responsible for the supervision of dependent children in the State of Florida have struggled to develop an effective means of addressing the problem of running away and …

A 1400 Year Multi-Proxy Record Of Hydrologic Variability In The Gulf Of Mexico: Exploring Ocean-Continent Linkages During The Late Holocene, Jennifer A. Flannery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Late Holocene climate variability includes the Little Ice Age (LIA, 450-150 BP) and the Medieval Warm Period (MWP, 1100-700 BP) that are characterized by contrasting hydrologic and thermal regimes. The degree of interaction between the North American continent and the ocean during these two abrupt climate events is not well known. Marine sedimentary records from basins proximal to major rivers integrate climate signals across large spatial scales and can provide a coherent, high-resolution assessment of the oceanic and continental responses to changing climate and hydrologic conditions. The Pigmy Basin in the northern Gulf of Mexico is ideally situated to record …

Antifreeze Proteins In Pelagic Fishes From Marquerite Bay (Western Antarctica), Tammy L. Cullins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Southern Ocean is home to two major types of fishes: endemics in the suborder Notothenioidii and representatives of oceanic fish families that are widely distributed in the midwater and benthic environments elsewhere (e.g. bathylagids, myctophids, liparids, and zoarcids) In most regions of the coastal Antarctic, e.g. the Ross Sea, there is a distinct separation in the pelagic communities at the shelf break between the oceanics (off-shelf) and the endemics (on-shelf). Coincidentally, in much of the coastal Antarctic, the shelf break also marks the boundary between a water column entirely composed of the very cold (-2°C ) Ice Shelf Water …

State Dominance And Political Corruption: Testing The Efficacy Of An Alternate Configuration Of Institutional-Anomie Theory Cross-Nationally, Carol L. S. Trent

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Extant assessments of Messner and Rosenfeld's institutional-anomie theory (1994) have generally supported the thesis that, in social collectives where the economy dominates, non-economic institutions (i.e. the family, education, polity) are rendered feeble, unable to exert their normative controls. The cultural values of these societies place primacy on "making it" (monetary success), while at the same time placing a much weaker emphasis on the licit means of achieving these goals. The resultant state is one of anomie, conducive to crime. Messner and Rosenfeld have extended their argument stating that it is not economic dominance per se that contributes to high crime …

A Mixed Methods Approach To Examining Factors Related To Time To Attainment Of The Doctorate In Education, Hesborn Otieno Wao

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the years, the time that students take to attain the doctorate, particularly in Education, has been increasing. Given the cost incurred in preparing students, the decrease in years of productivity in the chosen professions, and other opportunity costs, this trend is of great concern to students, the university, and society at large. This dissertation examined the timing of doctorate attainment and the factors related to this timing. Using secondary data (N=1,028 students), discrete-time multilevel hazard analysis was employed to determine the relationship between various factors and the timing of doctorate attainment in a College of Education. Complementary to the …

Communication Systems And Hiv/Aids Sexual Decision Making In Older Adolescent And Young Adult Females, Rasheeta D. Chandler Ms, Arnp, Fnp-Bc

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a national priority for several reasons including its endemic/pandemic status and economic demand. Adolescents 15 to 24 years old who are sexually active acquire nearly half of all new Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). Recent findings from the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) have documented increased teen birth rates, escalating births to unwed mothers, and STIs ascribed to one in four adolescent females, are reasons to enhance effective prevention efforts.

The specific aim of the study, based on Bandura's social cognitive theory, was to test associations among communication system methods and …

Maxwell’S Problem On Point Charges In The Plane, Kenneth Killian

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper deals with approximating an upper bound for the number of equilibrium points of a potential field produced by point charges in the plane. This is a simplified form of a problem posed by Maxwell [4], who considered spatial configurations of the point charges. Using algebraic techniques, we will give an upper bound for planar charges that is sharper than the bound given in [6] for most general configurations of charges. Then we will study an example of a configuration of charges that has exactly the number of equilibrium points that Maxwell's conjecture predicts, and we will look into …

Publicly Posted Feedback With Goal Setting To Improve Tennis Performance, Gretchen Mathews

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A review of the literature regarding Applied Behavior Analysis within various sports settings shows that behavioral coaching is more effective than traditional coaching methods. Specifically, goal setting and publicly posted feedback improved the athletic performance of college level football players in two studies, and high school soccer players in one study. The present study found goal setting and publicly posted feedback improved tennis performance for six participants. A multiple baseline across participants design was used. Specifically, the participants improved their corner hitting ability, which is an important competitive shot in tennis. The participants improved their corner hitting ability from an …

Hate Crimes And Jury Decision Making: An Exploratory Study Of Underlying Motivations Of How Mock Jurors Are Influenced By Extralegal Factors, Vimbai Mudimu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Statistics show that hate crimes continue to occur in United States, inciting fear and intimidation in minority communities (Petrosino, 1999; Torres, 1999; Saucier et al., 2006; Nolan et al., 2002; Jacobs & Potter, 1997). Although hate crime legislation has been passed, very little research has assessed what impact it has. This is particularly true for jury decision making. The aim of this study was to examine the main effects of type of crime (hate versus non-hate), offender-victim racial composition (African-American/Caucasian), and the interaction between these two variables on ratings of guilt likelihood, deserved punishment, and sentence recommendations after controlling for …

Assessing The Predictive Validity Of The Uaw-Ford Ergonomic Surveillance Tool, Gregory S. Krivonyak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) account for more than 350,000 occupational illnesses and injuries in the United States. Many job risk factors for developing MSDs are found in the automotive industry and the United Automobile Workers (UAW)-Ford Ergonomics Surveillance Tool (EST) has been designed to screen these jobs into high, moderate or low risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders affecting the distal upper extremity (DUE), lower back (LB) and/or neck and shoulders (NS). The purpose of this effort was to examine the predictive validity of the EST against a sample of target jobs at four Ford plants.

Individual jobs for this study …

Net/Work: Composing The Posthuman Self, Julia L. Mason

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The overall question this dissertation asks is: what does it mean to teach posthumans? To answer this question, this dissertation turns toward scholarship on the body in order to understand the virtual and material presence that students develop, it looks to online video gaming communities as alternative classrooms providing effective models of learning, and it investigates the circulation of service learning pedagogies within academic institutions as a marker of the persistence of humanistic values within the framework of a posthuman work environment.

The American university in general, and the humanities specifically, is struggling to make sense of its place in …

The Autoethnographic Call: Current Considerations And Possible Futures, Kendall Smith-Sullivan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the increase of personal narratives in the past several decades, particularly the autoethnographic approach. The project begins with a historical contextualization of personal writing and autoethnography in relation to the crisis of representation and other diverse socio-political shifts. One outcome of these cultural transitions was a proliferation of illness narratives, narrative therapy, therapeutic writing, and narrative health communication. Also included in this research are data from interviews with emerging autoethnographers and participant observation that occurred at the Third International Qualitative Inquiry Congress. The conference served as prism through which to view qualitative scholarship as a whole, as …

Family Business Daughters: The Ties That Bind And Divide, Angela M. Day

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore the relational contradictions experienced by family business daughters, and to investigate how they responded to these tensions. For this project, I interviewed twelve second and third generation family business daughters from eleven different family businesses. I utilized research procedures similar to grounded theory to analyze my interview transcripts. I examined relational tensions at both a personal level and an organizational level involving the larger work-family system. At a personal level, the connection/separation contradiction is significant to family business daughters and to their relationships with work and family. Many family business daughters helped …