Education Commons^™

Comparing Game Simulation To Concept Models For Student-Centered Learning In Biology, Margaurete Romero

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Science education research continues to demonstrate improved learning with active-learning techniques compared to lectures. However, the question of which active-learning methods are the most effective for learning complex scientific principles in various context still remains. Models are commonly used in activities that allow students to simplify complex systems and understand how components interact. I investigated the outcomes for student learning and engagement of two model-based activities - concept models and game simulations. The activities were conducted in an introductory biology course in sixteen discussion sections. Eight sections were assigned to the concept model activity and eight to the simulation activity. …

Exploring The Relationship Between Severity Of Illness And Human Milk Volume In Very Low Birth Weight And Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants Over Six Weeks, Shannon Leigh Morse

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Very low birth weight and extremely low birth weight neonates have tremendous risk of mortality. This is a grave concern; however, survival alone is not the goal of neonatal intensive care. Survival, along with a reduction or elimination of life long morbidity is the aim of neonatal intensive care.

Human milk is known as the best nutrition for babies and a growing body of evidence supports that human milk is critical in helping these fragile neonates mitigate the overwhelming risks they face. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between neonatal severity of illness and human …

The Effect Of Exercise Order On Body Fat Loss During Concurrent Training, Tonya Lee Davis-Miller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While the benefits of both cardiovascular exercise and resistance training have been well documented, there is a lack of evidence for the order of exercise that is most effective when both are done in the same day. This study was designed to look at two groups of participants performing both resistance (R) and cardiovascular (C) training in the same day to determine if their order, resistance before cardiovascular (R-C) or cardiovascular before resistance (C-R), matter with regard to changes in body composition, maximal strength, and maximal aerobic capacity. The participants were 17 women between the ages of 30 and 55 …

The Ecological Succession Of Mosquitoes Inhabiting Waste Tires In A Subtropical Swamp And Upland Forest In Central West Florida, Emily Thuong Nguyen Dinh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Literature has not yet seen a contribution involving the description of successional patterns of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) inhabiting discarded automobile tires in sylvan areas nor an investigation into the macro- and micro-environmental factors that may influence the seasonal shifts in species composition and abundance in that respective habitat. Waste tires in undeveloped forests are a hazard to human and animal health because they can support a population of vector mosquitoes. Locating productive waste tire mosquito habitats is problematic in wooded areas but is crucial for diminishing pathogen transfer in areas where humans have regular access to forests because of possible …

An Investigation Into The Habitat, Behavior And Opportunistic Feeding Strategies Of The Protected Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus Itajara), Angela Collins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Groupers (Epinephelidae: Epinephelinae) are apex predators within many reef communities worldwide. Grouper landings contribute significantly to global fisheries, and many populations are suffering from unsustainable levels of exploitation. The large size, site specificity and catchability of most groupers increase susceptibility to fishing pressure, and a large number of grouper species throughout the world are currently overfished. Multiple species are listed as endangered or threatened, and many have suffered local extirpations across their range. Removal of these upper level predators can significantly alter community structure and result in second order effects that may have critical ecological implications. The economic and ecological …

Epibenthic Mobile Invertebrates Along The Florida Reef Tract: Diversity And Community Structure, Kristin Netchy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Benthic mobile invertebrates are important components of coral-reef diversity and community structure, though, in most cases, their ecological contributions are poorly known. Baseline information on their diversity, prevalence, assemblages, and ecological roles is needed to aid in the conservation of coral-reef habitats. The objectives of this study are to 1) describe diversity and assemblages of epibenthic, mobile invertebrates in shallow water coral-reef communities in Florida, 2) evaluate their ecological roles by reviewing published literature on diet, and 3) measure the degree of linear dependence between mobile invertebrates and scleractinian corals. Underwater surveys were conducted in the summer of 2013 at …

Student Identity Considerations And Implications Associated With Socioscientific Issues Instruction, Mitchel James Ruzek

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to explore how aspects of identity, perceived levels of controversy, and the strength of a student's attachment to their controversial identity relate to conceptual understanding and knowledge acquisition during socioscientific issues (SSI) based instruction in a biology classroom. The knowledge gained from this study will have the capacity to enhance our understanding of the role that attachment to identity plays during SSI negotiation. Additionally, insight was gained into the role played by aspects of identity in conceptual understanding of scientifically controversial topics during SSI based instruction.

This study contributed to the existing knowledge base …

Comparisons Of Acute Neuromuscular Fatigue And Recovery After Maximal Effort Strength Training Using Powerlifts, Nicholas Todd Theilen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

COMPARISONS OF ACUTE NEUROMUSCULAR FATIGUE IN MAXIMAL EFFORT STRENGTH TRAINING USING POWERLIFTS.

N. T. Theilen, B. I. Campbell, M. C. Zourdos2, J. M. Oliver3, J. O'Halloran1, N. Asher1, J. M. Wilson4

1University of South Florida, Exercise and Performance Nutrition Laboratory, Tampa, FL

2Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL

3Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX

4University of Tampa, Tampa, FL

Neuromuscular fatigue is associated with a decrease in velocity. Following powerlift training, the extent to which fatigue affects the performance velocity of each lift after a specified recovery interval has not yet been investigated.

Purpose

To assess the level of acute …

Net Effects Of Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis (Bd) And Fungicides On Anurans Across Life Stages, Jenise Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Amphibians are declining at alarming rates globally. Multiple factors contribute to these declines, including chemical contaminants and emergent diseases. In recent years, agrochemical use, especially fungicide applications, has increased considerably. Previous studies have demonstrated that these agrochemicals leave application sites and enter wetlands via runoff and have detrimental effects on non-target organisms. For example, exposure to contaminants can have multifarious effects on amphibians, such as reducing their ability to deal with a secondary stressor, such as disease.

A pathogen that is found concomitant with chemical contaminants in aquatic systems is Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Bd has decimated amphibian populations worldwide. Susceptibility …

Use Of Stable Isotope And Trace Metal Signatures To Track The Emigration Of Female Blue Crabs, Callinectes Sapidus, From Tampa Bay, Sky Barrington Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, supports a successful fishery in the Atlantic Ocean and throughout the Gulf of Mexico, with a total landing of 8,158,788 lb. and a total value of $10,562,128 for the state of Florida during 2012 (FWC 2012 Annual Landings Summary). An accurate and comprehensive understanding of the blue crab's life history and seasonal migration behavior is essential in defining effective management strategies for the fishery. Tag recapture studies and ultrasonic tracking methods for studying blue crab migrations are costly in terms of time and resources. In this study an alternative approach, microchemical natural tagging, was …

The Biomechanics Of Tongue Projection In The Frog _Rana Pipiens_: Dynamics And Temperature Effects, Paula Sandusky

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ectotherms such as frogs must either function within environments with temperatures amenable to their physiological needs, or find means to reduce the impact of temperature on their activities. Recent studies on reptile and amphibian feeding have shown convergent use of elastic recoil to drive feeding movements, thereby decoupling temperature's effects on muscle from movement and allowing the animals to feed over broader temperature ranges. Rana pipiens specimens (n=5) were exposed to three ambient temperatures (10°, 15°, and 25° C) at which feeding behavior was imaged at 6000 Hz. The image sequences yielded detailed kinematic and dynamic information for jaw, tongue, …

Multisensory Integration In Shark Feeding Behavior, Jayne M. Gardiner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Multimodal sensory input directs simple and complex behaviors in animals. Most research to date has been limited to studies of individual senses rather than multiple senses working together, leading to important advances in our comprehension of the sensory systems in isolation, but not their complementary and alternative roles in difficult behavioral tasks, such as feeding. In the marine environment, a prey item might emit an odor, create a hydrodynamic disturbance, such as from gill movements or swimming, be visible to the predator, produce a sound, and/or produce a weak electrical field. Therefore, the goal of this study was to investigate …

Evaluating Lethal And Sub-Lethal Effects Of Catch-And-Release Angling In Florida's Central Gulf Coast Recreational Atlantic Tarpon (Megalops Atlanticus) Fishery, Kathryn Yvonne Guindon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Atlantic tarpon are sought after because of their fighting ability on various tackle and support a popular, lucrative and predominantly catch-and-release recreational fishery in Florida. They are not commercially harvested or consumed by the general public, therefore assessing effects of catch-and-release angling on tarpon survival is critical to a sustainable fishery. Tarpon caught on artificial breakaway jig and traditional live bait fishing charters in Boca Grande Pass (n=42) and trips from the recreational fishery of Tampa Bay (n=40) were tagged with ultrasonic transmitters and tracked up to 6 hours immediately following release to estimate post-release mortality. Of the 82 tagged …