Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Enduring Changes In Reward Mechanisms After Developmental Exposure To Cocaine: The Role Of The D2 Receptor, Kirstie H. Stansfield

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During adolescent brain maturation, there are likely sensitive periods where environmental conditions, including drug exposure, may influence development by modifying neuronal connections. Altering neuronal function may produce different phenotypes than expected under normal conditions that may influence subsequent responding to drugs of abuse after the brain is fully mature. Experiment one investigated the relationship between novelty preference and cocaine place preference in adolescent and adult rats. High responding adolescent rats displaying greater free choice novelty exploration (but not forced novelty locomotion) expressed decreased cocaine place conditioning compared to low responding rats. No relationship was found in adult rats. Experiment two …

Clinical Supervision Of Child And Adolescent Counselors In Residential Foster Care: A Collective Case Study, Lee A. Teufel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A collective case study is the study of more than one case (Stake, 1995). One therapist supervisor and three therapist supervisees from a child and adolescent residential foster care facility were observed during their individual clinical supervision and interviewed post-supervision. Currently, the literature on clinical supervision seldom addresses the supervision of working professional counselors; particularly those who are child and adolescent counselors (CACs).

Using a qualitative approach, two fundamental questions guided this inquiry: (a) what is the nature of clinical supervision involving a supervisor who provides clinical supervision to counselors in a child and adolescent residential foster care center that …

Changes In Abundance And Distribution Of Humpback Whales, Megaptera Novaeangliae, In Hervey Bay Marine Park, Australia, Based On Aerial Surveys Conducted In 1992 And 2004, Lucã­A De La Paz Suzacq

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Aerial surveys were conducted throughout Hervey Bay Marine Park between August and October 1992 and 2004 to determine changes in abundance and distribution of the Eastern Australia humpback whale population in this area. Due to concerns about possible effects of boat traffic on whale distributions associated with a growing whale watching industry, the number and location of vessels were also recorded during these surveys. Throughout the 1992 season, 17 flights were conducted and a total of 41.93 surveys hours were completed, recording 186 pods, and a total of 320 animals. In addition, 392 boats were spotted in the area. During …

The Proliferating Sacred: Secularization And Postmodernity, Donald Surrency

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When analyzing the role religion plays in contemporary American society, one is forced to address the notion of secularization. This is a term that broadly refers to the marginalization of religious influence in culture and society that began at the outset of the Enlightenment, sometime during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but, as Peter Berger argues, can actually be traced back to the times of the great Israelite prophets who emerged during the Axial Age (800-200 BCE). Throughout the available literature, proponents of the secularization thesis extend the marginalization of religious influence from the societal level to the level of …

Assistive Force Feedback For Path Following In 3d Space For Upper Limb Rehabilitation Applications, Ramya Swaminathan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of this research was the design of an easy to use C++ Graphical User Interface (GUI) which helps the user to choose the task that he/she wants to perform. This C++ application provides a platform intended for upper arm rehabilitation applications. The user can choose from different tasks such as: Assistive Function in 3D Space to Traverse a Linear Trajectory, User Controlled Velocity Based Scaling, Fitts' Task in X, Y, Z Directions. According to a study conducted by the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology, stroke patients aided by robotic rehabilitation devices gain significant improvement …

Job Satisfaction Among High School Assistant Principals In Seven Florida Counties, John R., Taylor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study replicated the study by Mary E. Neal, Job Satisfaction of Florida's High School Assistant Principals as a Factor in the Maintenance of an Administrative Workforce (2002) and extended the research by examining the job satisfaction of high school assistant principals in seven Florida county school districts. The present study utilized quantitative and qualitative data. Respondents (n = 128) were surveyed using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ short form), Individual Demographic Questionnaire, and Telephone Interview Questionnaire. One assistant principal from each of seven counties volunteered to complete the Telephone Interview Questionnaire. The 128 respondents represented 60% of 214 assistant …

Life As A Student At An Independent Day School, Diana R. Torres

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the interconnectedness of social class, education, and cultural capital. Considered academically elite, the independent school is be an ideal environment to find increased instances and opportunities for the acquisition and reproduction of elite, or "dominant" cultural capital. By implementing an ethnographic approach within an independent school setting, this study attempts to illuminate the student experience through adolescents' eyes. Past cultural capital studies focus on the relationship between cultural capital and academic achievement and/or social reproduction; instead, this study focuses on the everyday student experiences as they point to potential indicators of cultural capital. Results suggest that students' …

Uncertainty In The Information Supply Chain: Integrating Multiple Health Care Data Sources, Monica Chiarini Tremblay

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Similar to a product supply chain, an information supply chain is a dynamic environment where networks of information-sharing agents gather data from many sources and utilize the same data for different tasks. Unfortunately, raw data arriving from a variety of sources are often plagued by errors (Ballou et al. 1998), which can lead to poor decision making. Supporting decision making in this challenging environment demands a proactive approach to data quality management, since the decision maker has no control over these data sources (Shankaranarayan et al. 2003). This is true in health care, and in particular in health planning, where …

Androgen Receptors In The Bonnethead Shark, Sphyrna Tiburo: Cdna Cloning And Tissue-Specific Expression In The Male Reproductive Tract, John P. Tyminski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Androgens and the androgen receptor (AR) play important roles in virilization, spermatogenesis, and sexual behavior in vertebrates. An understanding of the distribution and levels of expression of the ARs on the cellular and tissue level demonstrates the pattern of responsiveness to the androgenic hormones in a given organism. In this study, a fragment of the AR gene was cloned and sequenced from the bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo, an elasmobranch species with a well-defined annual reproductive cycle. Acquiring this gene sequence facilitated the construction of species-specific AR polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers and species-specific AR mRNA probes that were used to …

Narrative Efforts At Social Redemption By People With Aids/Hiv, Andrea Zolnier Thelen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores four narrative texts written about AIDS/HIV and evaluates each one by applying Kenneth Burke's redemption drama, consisting of guilt, purification, and redemption. The methodology is a close textual analysis using rhetorical analysis as a way to highlight the use of the redemption drama in language. The first chapter explores the history of AIDS/HIV and makes the argument for using Burke's rhetorical approach. The second chapter briefly highlights the plot of the four narratives and provides background information and context for each book. The third chapter applies the concept of guilt to all four narratives. The fourth chapter …

Greater Flexibility, Greater Growth: A Comparative Study Of Labor And Capitalist Models In Japan, Germany And The United States, Jay Arthur Thompson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

After the end of the Second World War, three major economic powers emerged. Japan in Asia, Germany in Europe, and the United States in North America, quickly became the economic engines of their respective regions. Japan, with its "catch-up" and producer centered economy, grew so fast and so large, that there were worries in America that the Japanese would end up winning the economic war. West Germany, supported by the capitalist world, became a miracle economy, and the economic power of the European Union. In the past fifteen years however, these two economies have faltered and stagnated. In Japan, the …

Brevetoxins In Marine Birds: Evidence Of Trophic Transfer And The Role Of Prey Fish As Toxin Vector, Michelle Van Deventer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) of the brevetoxin-producing dinoflagellate Karenia brevis occur periodically along the central west coast of Florida. Mass mortalities of marine birds have long been associated with these blooms, yet there is little data documenting the accumulation of brevetoxins in the tissues of birds and their prey items. An intense HAB event impacted the region from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor during most of 2005. More than one hundred marine birds, representing twenty three species, were collected during this bloom. All birds sampled were found dead or had died within 24 hours of admittance to local wildlife rehabilitation …

What The Spirit Knows: Charles Williams And Kenneth Burke, Grace Veach

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

What the Spirit Knows: Charles Williams and Kenneth Burke examines the Arthurian poetry of Charles Williams using a methodology derived from Kenneth Burke. This is an experiment in literary criticism of a Christian poet using a methodology that is not specifically Christian. Key critical ideas found in Burke are utilized in reading poems from Taliessin Through Logres and Region of the Summer Stars. Burke's work on form and symbol (primarily from Counter-Statement) is addressed first. Form in an individual poem (using "Taliessin's Song of the Unicorn) and in an entire cycle is examined. Burke lists several uses for symbol in …

Local Strategies In A Global Network: Disability Rights Advocacy In Jamaica, Joan A. Tucker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The declaration of the International Year of Disabled Persons in 1981 and the international activism of persons with disabilities resulted in the globalization of disability, which involved a new framework for the treatment of PWDs. Although disability activism was being played out globally, it has been about PWDs gaining equality and full participation in their local societies. Therefore, at the heart of an international movement was the strategic organization of PWDs, most of who live in the developing world. This dissertation is based on a case study of activism for disability rights in one particular developing society, Jamaica. The Jamaican …

Defining Service Quality In An Outpatient Clinic With Complex Constituency, Swati Verma

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The 2001 Institute of Medicine's (I.O.M.) landmark report, Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century observes that, "[though] medical science and technology have advanced at a rapid pace,...the health care delivery system has floundered in its ability to provide consistently high-quality care" (I.O.M. 2001). The report recommended six quality aims for a twenty-first century health care system; one of them being patient-centered care. It explains patient-centered care as "providing care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions" (I.O.M. 2001). This …

Immunomodulatory Role Of Flagellin In Antigen-Presenting Cells, Ildefonso Vicente-Suarez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) expressed by cells of the immune system play a central role in the generation of immune responses against pathogens. Following TLR ligation, both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators are produced in order to elicit an immune response that controls the microbial infection while limiting tissue damage. Among these mediators, the proinflammatory cytokine IL-12 and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 are known to play major roles. Here, we show that in vitro or in vivo stimulation with flagellin, the TLR5 ligand, does not result in IL-10 production. Furthermore flagellin inhibits IL-10 production by other specific TLR ligands at the protein …

The Relationship Between School Connectedness And Bullying Vicitmization In Secondary Students, Janet Urbanski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bullying is a complex behavior that can cause academic and social problems for students and can contribute to a negative school climate. Students who feel isolated or do not feel connected to their school may experience similar risks to those who are victimized by peers. Recent school violence incidents have led to an increase in bullying behavior research. The importance of the school climate is also emerging in educational discourse prompting a growth of research in school connectedness and positive relationships. However, research on the impact that relationships and school connectedness may have on bullying victimization at school is limited. …

Sensitivity Analysis Of The Transit Boardings Estimation And Simulation Tool (Tbest) Model, Dajana Vuckovic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Public transportation, although modest in the United States carrying about 2 percent trips, still serves millions of people as the main and only means of transportation. Recently released data set by Census, the 2006 American Community Survey (ACS) shows the main mode of travel for work commute is not surprisingly the automobile with over 86 percent and public transportation with nearly 5 percent users. Transit agencies strive to provide effective, convenient, and desirable transport. Because of the constant changes in our environment, being able to predict the response of riders to different network or system changes is extremely useful. Ridership …

Effect Of A Preoperative Warming Intervention On The Acute Phase Response Of Surgical Stress, Vanda Doreen Wagner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When a patient is exposed surgical stress, the endocrine system secretes hormones in response to that stress. These hormones further activate the immune system to release cytokines and other acute phase reactions. These processes are supposed to protect the body by upregulating the innate immune system and producing an inflammatory response that acts to protect and heal. However, uncontrolled surgical stress may cause a weaker immune response that may lead to delayed wound healing. The phenomenon of unplanned perioperative hypothermia is known to expose patients to additional surgical stress. The purpose of this preliminary experimental study was to determine the …

Online Delivery Of Career Choice Interventions: Preferences Of First-Year Students In Higher Education, Melissa Venable

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Career services professionals are increasingly involved in decisions regarding the use of technology to perform their jobs. The millennial generation, increasingly enrolling in distance education, is characterized as being comfortable with technology, expecting efficient services, and valuing convenience. Understanding the technology-related preferences of today's students is fundamental for those planning and developing student career services. Brown and Ryan Krane (2000) identified five critical interventions important to career decision-making: (a) Written Exercises, (b) Individualized Interpretations and Feedback, (c) Information on the World of Work, (d) Modeling, and (e) Attention to Building Support.

This study investigated the following questions: (1) what are …

Experimental And Analytical Modeling Of The In Vivo And In Vitro Biomechanical Behavior Of The Human Lumbar Spine, Tov I. Vestgaarden

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation has two major parts; Analytical and Experimental. The analytical section contains a study using Finite Element Analysis of dynamic instrumentation to demonstrate stress reduction in adjacent level discs. The experimental section contains biomechanical testing of facet fusion allograft technique and finally a comparison between In Vivo and In Vitro intradiscal pressures to determine forces acting on Lumbar spine segment L4-L5. A comprehensive study of available data, technology and literature was done. Conventional fusion instrumentation is believed to accelerate the degeneration of adjacent discs due to the increased stresses caused by motion discontinuity. A three dimensional finite element model …

Narratives Of Lesbian Transformation: Coming-Out Stories Of Women Who Transition From Heterosexual Marriage To Lesbian Identity, Clare F. Walsh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Women who have transitioned to a lesbian identity from a previously heterosexual one lack a voice in the academic literature. Identity formation in this subset of women, those who chose a heterosexual marriage, had children, and later in life self identify as lesbian, has not been fully investigated. For this project, eight women were asked to answer this question: How have you negotiated the path from heterosexuality to lesbianism? Four main themes were found dealing with heteronormativity and accountability, relationship with children, transition, and acceptance by the lesbian community. Additionally, I introduce a new term---gender-normativity---to describe these women who only …

Subtyping Psychopathy: Exploring The Roles Of Degree Of Punishment, Cognitive Dissonance And Optimism, John M. Weir

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For over half of a century, social and behavioral scientists have been investigating the construct of psychopathy. Even so, psychopathy is still a highly misunderstood personality construct. Even though it has been estimated that psychopaths make up only about 1% of the general population, they are believed to consist of 15-25% of the prison population (Hare, 1996). However, not all psychopaths are in prison. Psychopaths can also be found in such fields as the legal profession, the business world and in politics (Babiak, 1995). In terms of criminal behaviors, psychopaths are arrested at earlier ages, have a higher rate of …

The Influence Of Masculinity Ideology On High-Risk Sexual Behavior Among Men Who Have Sex With Men, Christopher Wheldon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Epidemiologic evidence shows that the incidence of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) is on the rise. high-risk sexual behaviors are the primary mode of transmission and are responsible for increased rates of infection. a growing body of evidence suggests that endorsement of normative beliefs and values regarding manhood and masculinity, or masculinity ideology, may help to explain certain high-risk sexual behaviors. this study investigated the associations between a measure of masculinity ideology and sexual risk taking among a sample of MSM. in addition, indirect pathways in which masculinity ideology may lead to sexual risk taking were …

Evaluating The Effects Of A Reinforcement System For Students Participating In The Fast Forword Language Program, Catherine C. Wilcox

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A computer-assisted language intervention program called Fast ForWord(R) (Scientific Learning Corporation, 1998) has received a great deal of attention over the past few years. The Scientific Learning Corporation claims that the use of Fast ForWord will improve students' language, reading and learning skills, leading to improved communication skills and increased self-esteem in and out of the classroom. Researchers have explored the effects of Fast ForWord training on reading and spoken language. However, little research has examined the effects on student's reading level and FFW scores when a reinforcement system is used in conjunction with FFW. This study was conducted in …

Pneumatic Tool Hand-Arm Vibration And Posture Characterization Involving U.S. Navy Shipboard Personnel, Charles R. Wilhite

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States Navy incorporates many different occupations to ensure it achieves its overall mission. These occupations are extremely diversified and present a wide spectrum of occupational exposures. Many of these exposures have been well studied and documented. However, shipboard pneumatic tool hand-arm vibration, (HAV) and how it relates to different body postures is an area of occupational exposure that has received little attention. The chief objective of this study was to assess whether there is a difference in hand-arm vibration levels, while working on one of two surface orientations (e.g., horizontal and vertical) among distinctly different pneumatic tools while …

Secondary World History Teachers’ Integration Of Technology Into The Classroom: A Mixed-Method Approach, Shelli A. Whitworth

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the social studies classroom, using technology, students may gain access to expansive knowledge, broaden their exposure to diverse people and perspectives, and engage in critical thinking activities necessary for citizenship education (Berson, 1996; Berson & Balyta, 2004; Berson & Berson, 2003; Bolick, McGlinn, & Siko, 2005; NCSS, 1994, 2006; Risinger, 1996; Whitworth & Berson, 2003). 21st Century Skills are valuable for students as they examine vast amounts of content relating to historical events, figures, societies, technological growth and examine the relationship of the content to today's global interactions. Research indicates that there remains a call for documentation of exemplary …

Honor – A Double Edged Sword: An Examination Of The South’S “Culture Of Honor” Wounding Of Two Races, Vernetta K. Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work expands the understanding of the "culture of honor" that social psychologists maintain exists in the American South. Social psychologists attribute the higher incidence of violent crimes, especially murder committed by white men in the South as compared to Northern white men, to this "culture of honor." While social psychologists have restricted their work to white men, this work explores how this distinct culture has impacted the Southern black community while uncovering deeper ways in which the culture has affected the Southern white community. Using historically-based literature and film by African Americans, the work provides a more comprehensive look …

Graduate Students/Mothers Negotiating Academia And Family Life: Discourses, Experiences, And Alternatives, Shirlan A. Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the experiences and perceptions of graduate students who are mothers. Based on discourse analysis, one-on-one interviews, and focus groups, this study argues that institutional discourses and practices place graduate students who are mothers in untenable and irreconcilable positions between "mom" and "student," between "family" and "the academy," between "self" and "success." These irreconcilable differences are created in discourse, enacted in institutional policies, and lived by the participants. The study offers action-based alternatives to the status quo policies of the university based on the self-described needs of these women. It reveals that support from all fronts--the home, the …

Technology And Older Faculty: A Descriptive Study Of Older Florida Community College Faculty, Christopher D. Van Der Kaay

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Institutions of higher learning across the United States are experiencing an aging faculty population. A significant proportion of college and university faculty are over 55, a growth expected to continue in future years. Parallel to this growth and change has been an expanding use of technology in higher education. Despite this trend and potential implications, few studies have provided in-depth insight into older faculty and technology. The study used a quantitative descriptive design to provide a comprehensive look at older community college faculty and various aspects of technology. Areas examined included older faculty's perceptions of technology, their attitudes toward institutional …