American Studies Commons^™

Relationships Among Early Lexical And Literacy Skills And Language-Literacy Environments At Home And School, Joseph L. Constantine

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This observational study examined the relationships among home literacy environments, classroom language-literacy environments, and lexical and early literacy skills for 101 (56 male, 45 female) preschool and kindergarten children between the ages of 48 and 69 months. Data for multiple regression analyses were collected from 14 classrooms across 7 early childhood education centers in central Florida using the Home Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ), the Early Language & Literacy Classroom Observation Toolkit (ELLCO), and the Kaufman Survey of Early Academic and Language Skills (KSEALS). Seven classrooms scored in the proficient-to-exemplary range on the ELLCO; 3 were rated as basic, and 4 were …

Relationship Advertising: Investigating The Strategic Appeal Of Intimacy (Disclosure) In Services Marketing, Andrea Diahann Gaye Scott

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One approach to communicating and thereby building a close relationship with consumers is via advertising. In other words, if service providers can invoke feelings of connection and intimacy--where consumers feel understood, cared for, and validated--through advertising, a stronger bond and sense of loyalty is likely to follow. When intimacy is conceived as knowing and being known by another, which incorporates mutual and reciprocal (though not necessarily equal) liking and vulnerability, its application extends beyond romantic relationships to the current context of relationship and services marketing. This research provides empirical support for the use of intimacy as an appeal in services …

Review Of Wild Heart: A Life. Natalie Clifford Barney's Journey From Victorian America To The Literary Salons Of Paris By Suzanne Rodriguez, Tama L. Engelking

World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Equality News (Fall 2004), Maggie Allen

Equality news / EqualityMaine (2004-2008)

No abstract provided.

Family Affairs Newsletter 2004-10-01, Jean Vermette

Family Affairs newsletter (2004-2016)

FAMILY AFFAIRS was a free, twice-a-month, social activities newsletter for the GLBTQI (gay/lesbian/bisexual/trans/queer/intersex) community, sent out around the 1st and 15th of each month. It covered the State of Maine only. The list was begun and maintained for many years by Jean Vermette in Bangor, and later operated by Zack Paakkonen of Portland. Over the years it evolved from a social activities newsletter into a business directory, classified ad service, and community bulletin board.

The Newsletter (Fall 2004), Pam Mccann, Maine Speakout Project

Newsletter / Maine Speakout Project (2004)

No abstract provided.

Innovating National Sovereignty And The Just War Tradition, Gary M. Simpson

Faculty Publications

The two-thousand-year-old just war tradition is now read anew in light of the more recent Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Responsibility to Protect document. Eleanor Roosevelt played no small part in moving things in this new direction.

Performative Commemoratives, The Personal, And The Public: Spontaneous Shrines, Emergent Ritual, And The Field Of Folklore, Jack Santino

Popular Culture Faculty Publications

AFS Presidential Plenary Address, 2004

"Fictual" Reportage And (Virtual) Reality: Truman Capote's In Cold Blood And Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song, Rania M. Mahmoud

English Theses & Dissertations

This study discusses Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song. using Jean Baudrillard's theory of the four stages of the image and John Hellmann's notion of the transforming power of consciousness. Examining two landmarks of what is widely referred to as the nonfiction novel, or creative nonfiction, the study suggests that any attempt to record reality ends up as fabulation, whereby the writer produces his/her own version of reality. Thus, we have multiple realities or, in other words, fables woven out of the interpretive consciousness of individual writers. Taking this a step further, since all our …

Mel Gibson's The Passion Of The Christ: Market Segmentation, Mass Marketing And Promotion, And The Internet, Peter A. Maresco

WCBT Faculty Publications

The pre-release publicity surrounding the Mel Gibson film, The Passion of the Christ, warrants an in-depth look at the role that market segmentation and marketing promotion, including use of the Internet, have played in the overall success of the film. As background, films commonly classified as biblical epics are referenced in order to construct a framework that will demonstrate how the promotion of this genre of film, with the exception of the Internet, has essentially changed very little over time. This paper is not a review of the film nor is it intended to be a brief course in marketing. …

Hölder Continuity Of Green’S Functions, Ferenc Toókos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We investigate local properties of the Green function of the complement of a compact set E.

First we consider the case E ⊂ [0, 1] in the extended complex plane. We extend a result of V. Andrievskii which claims that if the Green function satisfies the Hölder1/2 condition locally at the origin, then the density of E at 0, in terms of logarithmic capacity, is the same as that of the whole interval [0, 1]. We give an integral estimate on the density in terms of the Green function, which also provides a necessary condition for the optimal smoothness. …

W(H)Ine And Roses, Robert M. Jarvis

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Deterioration Process And Deck Failure Mechanism Of Florida’S Precast Deck Panel Bridges, Ivan A. Gualtero

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During the late 70's and early 80's, several precast deck panel bridges were constructed in Florida. These utilize prestressed precast panels as stay-in-place forms and are designed to act compositely with a cast-in-place deck which is poured subsequently. Such bridges offer advantages of quicker construction and lower costs. However, several such bridges built in Florida developed extensive cracking and spalling. Following localized failures, the Florida Department of Transportation has decided to replace all 127 precast panel deck bridges in Districts 1 and 7. Since deck replacement is contingent on funding, it is necessary to develop a rational procedure to decide …

Community Participation And Consensus In Hiv/Aids Prevention: An Exploration Of The Suzgo, The Issues Of Aids In Malawi, Jon Aaron Poehlman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

After more than twenty years of increasing understanding of the human immunodeficiency virus known as HIV, the virus continues to spread throughout the world, manifesting itself lethally in the form of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). With no cure or affordable treatment presently available for the majority of the people of sub-Saharan Africa and the African nation of Malawi, work aimed at preventing the spread of the virus continues to be the best strategy for lessening its impact, both at a personal level and across populations.

Most people and communities in this part of the world demonstrate some understanding …

An Examination Of Peer-Related Risk And Protective Factors For Body Image Disturbance And Disordered Eating Among Adolescent Girls, Hemal M. Shroff

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research has documented the impact of peer influences on adolescents for health risk behaviors such as smoking and drinking alcohol. However, few studies have done an in-depth investigation of peer-related risk and protective factors affecting body dissatisfaction and disordered eating among adolescent girls. The study sample consisted of 344 adolescent girls from high schools in Pasco County, Florida. Participants completed questionnaires assessing the impact of peers on their weight and appearance attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. Participants also identified their close friends (using a coding system) and rated their own figures. Trained research assistants provided objective figure ratings for the participants. …

Utility Of Positive Peer Reporting To Improve Interactions Among Children In Foster Care, Jenny L. Van Horn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the utility of positive peer reporting to improve placement outcomes in foster care settings. Rejected children are likely to exhibit disruptive behavior problems due to frequent negative interactions with their peers, augmenting an already unstable environment in foster care. Researchers have found positive peer reporting to be successful in increasing social status and positive interactions and reducing negative interactions. Utilizing a multiple baseline with reversal elements, this study examined the effects of positive peer reporting on the positive and negative interactions of socially rejected children in foster care settings. Results supported previous literature with the first participant's …

Effects Of Weight-Related Cues On Smoking Motivation, Elena Nicole Lopez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Smoking is now the leading cause of preventable death and disease in women. Understanding women's motivations to smoke is important in developing effective cessation and relapse prevention programs. Women, more so than men, appear to associate their smoking behavior to issues of weight. Although a general relationship between weight concerns and smoking has been found among women, a causal relationship had not been demonstrated. This study tested whether activation of negative body image cognitions would produce greater urges to smoke and whether the relationship would be moderated by trait body dissatisfaction and mediated by state body dissatisfaction.

A randomized 2 …

Innovative Procedure To Install A Trunnion-Hub Assembly In A Bascule Bridge Girder, Michael West Berlin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current assembly procedure to install a trunnion and hub into a bascule bridge girder involves cooling the trunnion in liquid nitrogen and shrink fitting it into the hub. The resulting trunnion-hub assembly is then allowed to warm to room temperature. Next, the trunnion-hub assembly is cooled in the liquid nitrogen and shrunk fit into the girder. The cooling of the trunnion does not cause any problems, however, when the trunnion-hub assembly is cooled in the liquid nitrogen, the hub experiences a large thermal shock. These thermal shocks induce large stresses into the hub, which has been known to cause …

Construction Of A Late Pleistocene Paleothermometer Based On Amino Acid Racemization In Fossil Succinea Shells, Richard Ayres Walther

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Racemization kinetics of amino acids, determined for the commonly occurring fossil gastropod Succinea, facilitates the ability to construct an accurate and precise paleothermometer to estimate paleotemperatures over specific time intervals during the last 150,000 years in parts of Central Europe. Racemization within the carbonate shell of Succcinea is induced at high temperatures over increasing intervals of time in the laboratory and measured for aspartic acid (asp), glutamic acid (glu), valine (val), and phenylalanine (phe), by reverse-phase liquid chromatography.

The activation energy (E_a), frequency factor (A), and forward rate constant (k1) of the Arrhenius equation are determined from …

Graphical Probabilistic Switching Model: Inference And Characterization For Power Dissipation In Vlsi Circuits, Shiva Shankar Ramani

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Power dissipation in a VLSI circuit poses a serious challenge in present and future VLSI design. A switching model for the data dependent behavior of the transistors is essential to model dynamic, load-dependent active power and also leakage power in active mode - the two components of power in a VLSI circuit. A probabilistic Bayesian Network based switching model can explicitly model all spatio-temporal dependency relationships in a combinational circuit, resulting in zero-error estimates. However, the space-time requirements of exact estimation schemes, based on this model, increase with circuit complexity [5, 24]. This work explores a non-simulative, importance sampling based, …

Moonlight In Miami: A Field Study Of Human-Robot Interaction In The Context Of An Urban Search And Rescue Disaster Response Training Exercise, Jennifer L. Burke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores human-robot interaction during a 16-hour high-fidelity Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) disaster response drill with teleoperated robots. Situation awareness and team interaction were examined using communication analysis. Operators (n=5) sought assistance from team members to compensate for difficulties building or maintaining situation awareness. Operator-team member communication focused on relating what was seen through the robot's eye view with prior knowledge and planning search strategies. Results suggest operators need a new cognitive mental model to filter and comprehend data provided by the robot, and that robot-assisted search is a team task rather than an individual one. USAR technical …

Family Affairs Newsletter Business Directory 2004-09-01, Jean Vermette

Family Affairs newsletter (2004-2016)

Family Affairs Newsletter Directory of GLBTQIA Businesses.

Optimal Design Of An Accelerated Degradation Experiment With Reciprocal Weibull Degradation Rate, Indira Polavarapu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To meet increasing competition, get products to market in the shortest possible time, and satisfy heightened customer expectations, products must be made more robust and fewer failures must be observed in a short development period. In this circumstance, assessing product reliability based on degradation data at high stress levels becomes necessary. This assessment is accomplished through accelerated degradation tests (ADT). These tests involve over stress testing in which instead of life product performance is measured as it degrades over time. Due to the role these tests play in determining proper reliability estimates for the product, it is necessary to scientifically …

Affective Dispositions And Cognitive Skills In Critical Thinking: Implications For Measurement, Training, And Team Performance, Timothy John Willis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study attempts to increase critical thinking among teams by making them cognizant of seven critical thinking dimensions. Forty three-person teams of undergraduates worked together on a complex decision-making task. Each team received training in and was asked to ensure their group exhibited the characteristics of cognitive skills, affective dispositions, both of these or neither. Critical thinking was assessed using self-report, behavioral observation rating, and expert outcome analysis. The findings suggest training in affective dispositions increases the exhibition of at least one dimensions of critical thinking. A behavioral measurement is presented and evaluated with respect to established critical thinking methods.

A Legal And Historical Study Of Parental Choice: Implications For Public Education, Derrel James Bryan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study provides an analysis of the historical and legal constructs of parental choice and implications for public education. While qualitative in nature, the historic record provides important detail in establishing a foundation for understanding parental authority in determining the education of children. An overview of major education legislation from the Colonial era to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is discussed as well as the legal analysis which consists of U.S. Supreme Court decisions influential in the debate over parental authority in determining the education of children. Conclusions include (a) data supporting parental choice as a growing …

Design Optimization Of Frp Composite Panel Building Systems: Emergency Shelter Applications, Nicholas M. Bradford

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Using advanced composites, an emergency shelter system has been designed. The system parameters are hurricane resistance to 138 mph wind velocity, simple erection, light weight, high durability and rapid construction. The project involves the solicitation of design proposals from several building system manufacturers and the development of an optimized emergency shelter system. The usage is well suited to pultruded members made from fiber reinforced polymers (FRP). Due to the anisotropic nature of FRP composites, a limited amount of research has been conducted to develop design optimization techniques for panels used in construction.

This project allows for the development of optimization …

Peripheral Nerve Repair Using Biomaterial Nerve Guides Containing Guidance Channels, Oren D. Rosenthal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic injuries to peripheral nerves often leave gaps that cannot be repaired by direct suture methods. In such instances, repair with a tubular nerve guide, allows connection of the nerve ends, provides directional guidance, and concentrates endogenous trophic factors for regenerating axons. We hypothesized that collagen nerve guides containing longitudinally oriented channels would further improve the outcome of nerve repair by increasing the surface area available for cell migration. We restored the continuity of a 10mm peripheral nerve gap (rat sciatic nerve) by suturing the nerve stumps into a type I collagen nerve guide (1.5 mm ID), which contained longitudinal …

Multi-Robot Task Allocation Using Affect, Aaron Gage

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mobile robots are being used for an increasing array of tasks, from military reconnaissance to planetary exploration to urban search and rescue. As robots are deployed in increasingly complex domains, teams are called upon to perform tasks that exceed the capabilities of any particular robot. Thus, it becomes necessary for robots to cooperate, such that one robot can recruit another to jointly perform a task. Though techniques exist to allocate robots to tasks, either the communication overhead that these techniques require prevents them from scaling up to large teams, or assumptions are made that limit them to simple domains. This …

Differential Adolescent Delinquency Tolerance And The Effect Of Race And Gender, Evaristus Obinyan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The study was designed to examine the attitudes of adolescents towards the tolerance of delinquent behavior. It was postulated that there would be a differential in the tolerance of delinquent behavior by juveniles from different age, gender, and racial groups. It was hypothesized that different groups would score higher or lower on select measures or dimensions (definition, reporting, controlling, preventing, correcting) of delinquency tolerance, and that their level of tolerance of delinquency might prove useful in explaining participation in delinquency.

The focus of the study was on identification of differential attitudes of various subgroups towards the violations of norms relating …

Technology And Teacher Training: The Systematic Design And Development Of A Framework For Integrating Technology Into Jamaica’S Teacher Training Programs, Carol N. Granston

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the last five years, there has been an increased number of computers in schools and teachers' colleges in Jamaica. In addition, recently revised national policy documents have indicated the need to infuse technology into the curricula of all schools. Despite these investments in computers, however, there has been little corresponding development in training teachers to use computers and emerging technologies as teaching learning tools.

The purposes of the study were three-fold: (a) to describe the current state of technology integration in Jamaica's teacher training programs (b) assess the extent to which teachers' college faculty and pre-service teachers perceived themselves …