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Mihok, Lorena Diane. "Cognitive dissonance in early Colonial pictorial manuscripts from Central Mexico." [Tampa, Fla.] : University of South Florida, 2005. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/SFE0001352.
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Geary, James P. "Social Realism in Central America: the Modern Short Story Translated." Wright State University / OhioLINK, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1215444512.
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Ardon, Marisol Francesca. "Formation and Reflection of Identity in U.S. Born Central American and Mexican Book Artists and Poets." Thesis, The George Washington University, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10113142.
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The difficulties to assimilate within any country when one’s parents are from another country has its own set of obstacles, especially within second-generation U.S. born Central Americans, or Mexicans. Second-generation children are constantly situated within positions to assimilate into U.S. culture, presented with stereotypical images of Latin-American figures like the Cholo, Spitfire or the unwanted illegal immigrant, have familial expectations to be a part of the “American Dream,” but still keep true to their ancestral roots. The struggle to completely assimilate into U.S. American society without losing one's cultural identity is a strong influence for the works of poets and book artists, and is reflected within the artist’s own internal conflicts in struggling to unite their cultural heredity with their new U.S. American culture. This paper will explore the work of LatinAmerican, U.S.-born book artists and poets and argue how their artwork has been impacted by their struggles to merge their cultural heritage and their present culture. This paper will also examine and highlight how social conflicts within both cultures augment further struggles within the formation of identity.
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Ortega, Ricardo Alberto. "Being of Transit: Central American and Mexican Migrants’ Experiences of (Dis)Possession." Thesis, Malmö högskola, Fakulteten för kultur och samhälle (KS), 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-21414.
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The thesis is based on the ethnographic fieldwork done during February 2015 in a place where aspects of transitory life are configured in an effort to (re)humanize those migrants that have been exposed to harm and (dis)possession, and thus entangled within an undesirable physical reality. Empirical attention is dedicated to the ways and means in which a particular migrant shelter located in the border region of Mexico-US operates and fulfills its purpose. The theoretical framework relates to being of transit as the composition of the migrants’ emergent state of uncertainty and instability within their continuous transitory experience. This is juxtaposed with Karen Barad’s (2007) posthumanist performativity analysis of how discourse and the material markers that make up transitory Mexico-US are a composition of assembled actions of (dis)possession processes of social, political, and historical power relations constantly becoming in practice. Additionally, the focus expands on how more-than-human elements and material possessions are intra-acting with the migrants that became part of the study. Therefore, through the politics of mobility and violence, the thesis explores how the people, places and things that assemble transitory Mexico-US evidence such undesirable physical reality. That is to say, a ceaseless diffracting ebb and flow of co-constituted intra- acting humans and non-humans in constant momentum and positionality conceptualizing the phenomenon of being a migrant, thing, or place of transit.
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Garcia, Andres. "State Building and Regionalism in Latin America: Central America and the Rio De La Plata, 1810-1850." FIU Digital Commons, 2000. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3836.
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The purpose of this study is to account for regional disintegration in Central America and the Río de la Plata following Independence. It is a comparison of the two regions that once existed as the Kingdom of Guatemala and the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. After independence these regions became nine separate states: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica in Central America; Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina in the Río de la Plata. The methodology used is the study of the late colonial period, the aftermath of the breakup of centralization, and the rise of the political strongman. Through this research I establish that the roots of nationalism never existed in the two regions. The research demonstrates that the states of Central America and the Río de la Plata exhibited signs of regionalism from their beginnings as colonial administrative centers to the formation of their political boundaries in the middle of the nineteenth century.
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Amador, Edgar Allan. "Globalization, ecotourism, and development in the Monte Verde Zone, Costa Rica." [Tampa, Fla.] : University of South Florida, 2004. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/SFE0000570.
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Scott, Michael H. "Precipitation variability of streamflow fraction in West Central Florida." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2006. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0001793.
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Florea, Lee John. "The karst of west-central Florida." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2006. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0001783.
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Orozalieva, Karina. "Impact of globalization on socio-economic and political development of the Central Asian countries." Scholar Commons, 2010. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/1730.
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The main objective of this thesis is to understand the economic, social and political impacts of globalization on the Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Central Asian countries in general. The empirical studies based on panel data analyses and the case study on Kyrgyzstan demonstrate that the socio-economic effect of globalization on development of these countries is twofold. On the one hand benefits produced by globalization such as migration and remittances can be useful for economic development in the short run. They take a role of a "shock absorber" of the challenges that are associated with transition to a free market economy. On the other hand, their long term economic impacts can be negative especially in the areas of industry and export. Moreover, it can have a negative effect in the future creating a loss of human capital and distorting traditional forms of social structures within societies. The political impact of globalization is also dual.
The empirical analysis that is based on simple regression analysis demonstrates that adoption of liberal democracy model by Central Asian governments is not a necessary condition for successful economic growth. Countries can be democratic and have low or medium socio-economic development such as India or Ukraine. They also can be undemocratic and developed as China or Kazakhstan. To find a certain connection between democracy and development it is needed to look at other important economic, geo-political and social factors that can contribute to the development. On the other hand regional and global challenges produced by globalization forced Central Asian countries to find a political position that would satisfy interests of inside and outside actors as well as provide proper environment for stable political and economic development.
The descriptive analysis demonstrates that Central Asian countries chose the path of political integration and cooperation by being involved in regional institutions such as SCO and EEC. This strategy can help them to withstand challenges produced by globalization and promote political stability and economic growth in the region.
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Krock, Jennifer Rose. "Historical Morphodynamics of John’s Pass, West-Central Florida." Scholar Commons, 2005. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/731.
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John’s Pass is a stable mixed-energy inlet located on a microtidal coast in Pinellas County, Florida. It is hydraulically connected to the northern portion of Boca Ciega Bay. Morphological analysis using a time-series of aerial photographs indicated that anthropogenic activities have influenced the evolution of the tidal deltas and adjacent shorelines at John’s Pass. Previous studies have documented the channel dimensions at the location of the existing bridge and calculated the tidal prism. A chronological analysis of these data yielded an increasing trend in the cross-sectional area at John’s Pass from 1873 to 2001. Anthropogenic activities occurring in Boca Ciega Bay impacting this trend begin in the 1920’s when Indian Pass, approximately 7 km north of John’s Pass, was artificially closed. Other significant events causing an increase or decrease in the crosssectional area at John’s Pass include dredging and filling in the bay, channel dredging at John’s Pass, and jetty construction.
More recent data collected from a simultaneous current meter deployment at John’s Pass and Blind Pass were used to calculate the bay area serviced by each inlet resulting in an area serviced by John’s Pass being 1.8x104 km2 and 0.33x104 km2 serviced by Blind Pass. In comparison, Blind Pass captures 14 percent of the tidal prism that John’s Pass captures and John’s Pass captures 87 percent of the bay prism while Blind Pass captures 13 percent. Using the discharge equation and assuming the channel area was largely constant the tidal prism at John’s Pass was 1.07x107 m3 during the twenty-one day deployment. Based on a historical analysis of the tidal prism this study is within 40 percent of the tidal prism calculated by Mehta (1976) and Becker and Ross (2001) and within 20 percent of the tidal prism calculated by Jarrett (1976) and Davis and Gibeaut (1990). An analysis of the current meter time-series indicated that flood velocities in the channel were influenced by a frontal system passing through the study area during the deployment increasing the amount of potential sediment being deposited in the channel thalweg. The maximum ebb and flood-tidal velocities during the deployment were 143 cm/s and 115 cm/s, respectively.
Morphological analysis of cross-sectional data from 1995 to 2004 indicated that sediment tends to accumulate along the northern portion of the channel. The channel thalweg tends to accumulate more sediment east of the bridge where wave energy is lower and currents are not as strong. An average net accumulation of 0.5 m per year was estimated along all seven cross-sections. Given the length and width of the surveyed channel, 610 m by approximately 150 m, the sediment flux through the inlet is approximately 45,800 m3 /yr along the channel thalweg. A small amount of sediment accumulation has occurred southwest of the bridge in response to channelized flood flows along the newly constructed jetty. An annual sediment budget was estimated for the John’s Pass inlet system using the beach profiles and inlet bathymetry data between 2000 and 2001. Overall, the inlet system has accumulated more sediment than it has lost during this time period.
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Soto, Limaris R. "Reconstruction of late holocene precipitation for Central Florida as derived from isotopes in speleothems." [Tampa, Fla.] : University of South Florida, 2005. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/SFE0001330.
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Krivanek, Joseph G. "Reef recovery following the Late Devonian mass extinction: evidence from the Dugway Range, west-central Utah." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2006. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0001673.
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Deyle, Anna C. "Population Genetics of Amphiuma means and Siren lacertina in Central Florida." Scholar Commons, 2011. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3071.
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Population structure can be defined as a difference in the frequencies of alleles among populations, and it is often caused by barriers to dispersal. I used mitochondrial DNA sequences to examine the population structure of two large, aquatic salamanders, Amphiuma means (the Two-Toed Amphiuma) and Siren lacertina (the Greater Siren), at two spatial scales in peninsular Florida. Both species appear to have similar life histories, including poor dry land dispersal capabilities, and I hypothesized that they would exhibit significant population structure at both broad and fine scales. Wetland loss and landscape fragmentation are certain to have caused decreases in abundance and even extirpation of local populations of both species. Understanding current levels of genetic diversity is important in conservation efforts, particularly if individuals must be translocated in the future.
A portion of the cytochrome b gene was analyzed for 34 Amphiuma means and 21 Siren lacertina sequences. A neighbor-joining tree and haplotype network showed that A. means exhibited statistically significant population structure at the broad, but not the fine scale. The lack of structure at the fine scale was attributed to periodic flooding among drainage basins in the low-lying study area. The same analyses showed that S. lacertina did not exhibit statistically significant population structure at the broad scale (analyses were not conducted at the fine scale because of low sample size). The difference in broad-scale population structure between the two species is the result of a difference in gene flow, which in turn, can be the result of a difference in effective population size (Ne), female dispersal capability and/or behavior, chance of bait-bucket transfer, or biogeographic history. The best of these possible explanations seems to be a difference in biogeographic history. For the two sites from which both species were sampled, estimated population divergence date was 3.3-6.4 million years ago (mya) for A. means and 0.04-0.5 mya for S. lacertina. The large difference in estimated divergence dates suggests that S. lacertina colonized peninsular Florida from somewhere else following a glacial sea level rise or an interglacial sea level fall, at a time when A. means was already present in refugia within peninsular Florida. This is the first study to explicitly examine the population genetics of A. means and S. lacertina, and future studies should examine their population genetics range wide, to elucidate how gene flow and/or historical biogeography may have contributed to population structure elsewhere.
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Garman, Keith Michael. "The Biogeochemistry of Submerged Coastal Karst Features in West Central Florida." Scholar Commons, 2010. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3444.
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West Central Florida is a complex karst environment with numerous sinkholes, springs, and submerged cave systems. Many of these karst features are anchialine, located within the subterranean estuary where freshwater and saltwater mix. Water quality data and/or fauna data were obtained from twenty-one karst features and their associated cave systems. The anchialine karst environment of the study area has a wide range of habitats with measured salinities ranging from freshwater at <0.2 ppt to sulfidic, hypersaline water at 38.5 ppt and measured pH readings ranging from 6.39 in water impacted by sulfur oxidizing bacteria to 10.3 in an isolated room of a cave. Stygobitic crustaceans were identified in conduits extending beneath the Gulf of Mexico supporting the hypotheses that freshwater crustaceans could survive higher sea levels in freshwater conduits beneath saltwater. The fauna associated with the anchialine cave systems included Sabellidae and Polychaeta worms, hydroids, cnidarians and hydrobiid snails. Jewfish Sink, like other anaerobic marine basins that were submarine springs, has four zones: oxic zone, transition zone, upper anoxic zone and anoxic bottom water. The upper zones have seasonal water quality variations from winter cooling and sinking of surface water and changes in the microbial communities. Activity of sulfate reducing bacteria is carbon limited in the anoxic zones, where sulfate reduction is the major metabolic process, and primary production is phosphate limited in the oxic zones. Organic input from the Gulf of Mexico drives the bacterial anaerobic ecosystem, resulting in a “sulfide pump”, in which sulfide percolates upward removing oxygen from the overlying sediment.
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Hammond, Daniel G. "Evaluating dissolved oxygen regimes along a gradient of human disturbance for lotic systems in west-central Florida." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2009. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0003007.
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Mitchell, Keva Latrice. "Perceptions from the Principals’ Desks: African American Elementary Principals and Reading Curriculum and Instruction in a Central Florida County." [Tampa, Fla.] : University of South Florida, 2004. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/SFE0000398.
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Lloyd, Rustin. "The Politics of the Righteous: A Religious and Political History of Conservative Neo-Evangelicals in Central Florida." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2013. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5816.
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In 1953 a small, seemingly insignificant, church was founded in Winter Park, Florida. By the early 1970s, Calvary Assembly of God, a church that had started with a dirt floor, was declared one of the fastest growing churches in America with membership easily reaching over several thousands. In the late 1970s and 1980s, it became a major religious and political force in central Florida so much so that it had received visits from then presidential hopefuls Pat Robertson and Vice President George Bush. The changes that took place at Calvary Assembly, both politically and religiously, provided a microcosm of the rest of the nation, while at the same time, these changes made Calvary a leader within the charismatic neo-evangelical subculture. The incredible growth of Calvary Assembly is part of a larger narrative on the expansion of neo-evangelicalism, and more specifically, the charismatic movement in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as, the growth of central Florida. As a result of their growth Calvary was able to launch, and participate in, many programs on both the local and national level. Religious orthodoxies seeped into the political and social thought of those at Calvary, which influenced, and helped to explain, how the church became politically active. Part I examines the growth of Calvary within the context of the growth of Central Florida and the growth of the charismatic movement, This section will include the founding of Charisma magazine, major national events such as the Jesus Festivals, and the impact of charismatic revivalists. The impact of Calvary on the local community is another part of the story. Part II addresses the political bloc Calvary produced in central Florida. The church participated in and influenced national rallies such as “Washington for Jesus.” It shared its political views with central Florida through bulletins like Insight, which addressed moral issues like pornography, homosexuality, education and abortion. Calvary also used events like Freedom Celebration, and articles in Charisma to promote its views on American freedom. As a result local and national politicians and political groups recognized Calvary Assembly as a political powerhouse. Another part of the story is that Calvary and central Florida represented the local side of a national story on evangelicalism and national politics.M.A.
Masters
History
Arts and Humanities
History; Public History
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Goodwin, Whitney Annette. "Archaeology and Indigeneity, Past and Present: A View from the Island of Roatán, Honduras." Scholar Commons, 2011. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3123.
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Project Roatán was initiated in 2008 as a collaboration between the University of South Florida (USF) and the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History (IHAH) to investigate the prehistory of the island of Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras. Based on data from the 2009 field season of Project Roatán, this study examines the ways in which native islanders of the Postclassic period (A.D. 900-1500) expressed their social identity and cultural affiliations with contemporaneous groups on northeastern mainland Honduras through their ceramic traditions. These initial investigations serve to evaluate the relationship between islanders and mainland groups and any major differences in terms of their status or occupation, islanders' ties into regional trading systems, and the primary function of sites on the island. Although the materials presented demonstrate a strong tie to the indigenous groups of the mainland, which were most likely ancestors of present-day Pech populations, a significant difference is apparent in the types and quantities of exotic materials present on the island, as compared to those found on the mainland. Published accounts and reports from previous expeditions to the island are examined to support this trend. It is argued that models of political economy are best suited to address the heightened importance of social relationships within economic interactions of the indigenous Bay Islanders. The practice of creating an inclusive group identity, deemed the corporate strategy of power, was employed by elites in the region with the aim of maintaining the status-quo. Extreme exploitation and the accumulation of resources were not necessarily central goals in an environmentally self-sustaining region, and the practice appears to have contributed ultimately to long-term cultural stability in the region. Drawing from external connections, indigenous populations of this region appropriated symbols and designs in an emblemic manner to express a common identity and reinforce a cultural practice of inclusiveness. Within this setting, the data indicate that the island of Roatán likely either represented a special physical location for the northeastern region - in terms of access to outside trade networks and resources, or perhaps in terms of spiritual or ideological significance -or was inhabited by group of individuals that enjoyed privileges not shared by those on the mainland. A combination of emblemic style and corporate strategy is presented as a possible explanation for standardization within the ceramic assemblage of the island in the absence of mass production. Lastly, the results of the study are used to critique the ways in which archaeological data have been exploited within the heritage tourism industry to represent past inhabitants of the island and commoditize identity. The future of tourism and issues of representation on the island are also considered in light of recent political disruption.
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Collins, Nathan. "Geochemical Systematics Among Amphibolitic Rocks in the Central Blue Ridge Province of southwestern North Carolina." Scholar Commons, 2011. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3045.
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ABSTRACT
The Central Blue Ridge sub-province of the southern Appalachian Mountains preserves an unique and complex geologic history. The Cartoogechaye terrane is the westernmost terrane of the Central Blue Ridge sub-province, and is characterized by extensive olistostromal sequences, including mafic-ultramafic massifs, isolated mafic units, and block-in-matrix structures of varying scales. This study investigates the genetic and tectonic relationships, and regional chemical and metamorphic trends of the amphibolitic rocks entrained within units of the Cartoogechaye and nearby terranes, toward constraining the origins of these regional sequences, and examining the rationale for the current Blue Ridge terrane designations.
A distinct compositional variation exists between the northern and southern portions of the Cartoogechaye terrane, evident in the mafic rocks of the terrane. The amphibolite blocks and mega-blocks of the Willets-Addie mafic unit, in the northeastern portion of the Cartoogechaye terrane, indicate igneous rock protoliths of a calc-alkaline composition that are different from the mafic-origin amphibolitic massifs of the southwestern Cartoogechaye terrane (Ryan et al., 2005). Amphibolitic blocks of the Tathams Creek/Sylva area, immediately southwest of the Willets-Addie study site, show rare earth element systematics indistinguishable from the more mafic rocks in the Willets-Addie area, albeit with some chemical variation related most likely to variable migmatization of the rocks regionally. Mafic rocks in the adjoining Mars Hill terrane to the northwest show similar chemical trends, even though the Mars Hill terrane is recognized as different from the Cartoogechaye terrane, based on dating results from enclosing granitiods and migmatitic segregations. In the southwestern Cartoogechaye terrane, the Carroll Knob mafic complex preserves chemical signatures suggestive of ocean crustal origins, similar to the Buck Creek mafic-ultramafic suite (Berger et al. 2001, Peterson et al., 2009). However, the amphibolites in the Carroll Knob complex indicate pyroxene-rich cumulate and gabbroic protoliths consistent with an active oceanic magma system undergoing continuous magmatic replenishment and crystallization. West of the Carroll Knob complex, the Kimsey Bald mafic body includes amphibolites with protoliths comparable to the MORB-like, high-Ti amphibolites of the Buck Creek suite. The few amphibolite samples from the Lake Chatuge complex examined in this study also shows ocean crustal affinities, similar to those in the Buck Creek, Kimsey Bald, and Carroll Knob complexes.
The chemical distinctions among these amphibolite suites, and the differences in the inferred crustal ages among their enclosing crustal units point to a possible boundary between the northern and southern regions of the Cartoogechaye terrane, one related either to likely crustal protoliths, or to a change in tectonic environment. The varied types of blocks comprising the Tathams Creek and associated Cartoogechaye units may indicate a transitional zone between the upper plate-derived accretionary sequences observed to the northeast and dominantly lower oceanic plate lithologies exposed in the southwestern extent of the terrane.
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Wall, Carrie C. "Linkages between environmental conditions and recreational king mackerel catch off west-central FLorida." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2006. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0001779.
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Powell, Katherine Moore. "Quantifying soil organic carbon (SOC) in wetlands impacted by groundwater withdrawals in west-central Florida." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2008. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0002590.
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Dupont, Jennifer Maria. "Ecological dynamics of livebottom ledges and artificial reefs on the inner central West Florida Shelf." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2009. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0002841.
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Bowersox, John Richard. "Community structure, faunal distribution, and environmental forcing of the extinction of marine molluscs in the Pliocene San Joaquin Basin, Central California." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2006. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0001805.
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Guzman-Medrano, Gael. "Post-Revolutionary Post-Modernism: Central American Detective Fiction by the Turn of the 21st Century." FIU Digital Commons, 2013. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/917.
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Contemporary Central American fiction has become a vital project of revision of the tragic events and the social conditions in the recent history of the countries from which they emerge. The literary projects of Sergio Ramirez (Nicaragua), Dante Liano (Guatemala), Horacio Castellanos Moya (El Salvador), and Ramon Fonseca Mora (Panama), are representative of the latest trends in Central American narrative. These trends conform to a new literary paradigm that consists of an amalgam of styles and discourses, which combine the testimonial, the historical, and the political with the mystery and suspense of noir thrillers. Contemporary Central American noir narrative depicts the persistent war against social injustice, violence, criminal activities, as well as the new technological advances and economic challenges of the post-war neo-liberal order that still prevails throughout the region.
Drawing on postmodernism theory proposed by Ihab Hassan, Linda Hutcheon and Brian MacHale, I argued that the new Central American literary paradigm exemplified by Sergio Ramirez’s El cielo llora por mí, Dante Liano’s El hombre de Montserrat, Horacio Castellanos Moya’s El arma en el hombre and La diabla en el espejo, and Ramon Fonseca Mora’s El desenterrador, are highly structured novels that display the characteristic marks of postmodern cultural expression through their ambivalence, which results from the coexistence of multiple styles and conflicting ideologies and narrative trends. The novels analyzed in this dissertation make use of a noir sensitivity in which corruption, decay and disillusionment are at their core to portray the events that shaped the modern history of the countries from which they emerge. The revolutionary armed struggle, the state of terror imposed by military regimes and the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime, are among the major themes of these contemporary works of fiction, which I have categorized as perfect examples of the post-revolutionary post-modernism Central American detective fiction at the turn of the 21st century.
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Havens, Julie Ann. "A Stable Isotopic Examination of Particulate Organic Matter During Karenia brevis Blooms on the Central West Florida Shelf: Hints at Nitrogen Sources in Oligotrophic Waters." [Tampa, Fla.] : University of South Florida, 2004. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/SFE0000463.
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Raymond, Kristan Marie Nicole. "Determining habitat preferences of the juvenile gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) using spatially modeled vegetation on a central Florida sandhill." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2007. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0002255.
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Richman, Scott D. "An Interpretive Policy Analysis of Bullying Law and the Development of Bullying Policy in a Central Florida School District." Scholar Commons, 2010. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/1749.
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Bullying has been an issue in schools and became a major concern for school leaders over the past two decades. Olweus (1993) defined three characteristics of bullying behavior: intent to harm another, repeated offenses, and a perceived or real power imbalance. This study examined the law's provisions concerning bullying in schools; specifically examining the Florida Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Student Act (2008), and the required policy implemented in Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS). Discourse theory framed the study, as defined by Habermas (1996) and the derivative Interpretive Policy Analysis was used to analyze the district policy, as defined by Yanow (2000). The study utilized four research questions to examine bullying law and policy: what constitutional, statutory, and case law said about bullying; bullying policies in literature; development of bullying policy and how closely it matched law. Constitutional law laid the foundation of the school system. Statutory law provided more details and at the state level, defined requirements concerning bullying. Bullying laws existed in 44 states, the majority addressing one or more of Olweus' components. HCPS developed its xii bullying policy in the fall, 2008, closely following requirements of Florida bullying law. The district had a student conduct policy prior to new requirements and a violence prevention committee (VPC) met monthly. The VPC formed a smaller committee including administrators, teachers, parents, students, and law enforcement members, to develop the policy. The committee examined each component of the state model policy, and either used the item verbatim or added additional information specific to HCPS. The district exceeded state requirements for some items such as extending the definition of bullying to include employees and visitors. Overall, bullying laws were designed to protect students from harmful behaviors. The district policy was designed to achieve this task; however, it was also seen as a means to avoid lawsuits and to protect the district's interests. Implications included the need to update laws/policies continually to reflect the current times, such as new technologies, and the interpretation of laws and eventual implementation in schools. In addition, the interpretive policy analysis process used in this study could be applied to other studies examining the policy development process.
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Figueroa, Alejandro J. "The Clash of Heritage and Development on the Island of Roatán, Honduras." Scholar Commons, 2011. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3104.
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The present study examines the spatial relationship between archaeological sites on the island of Roatán, Honduras and their topographical and biophysical location, as well as how these relationships are and continue to be impacted by the island's current socioeconomic context. Despite several studies and explorations conducted on the island's history, archaeology, and geography since the early twentieth century, little is known of its place and role within the larger cultural and socioeconomic spheres of interaction in this region: Mesoamerica and the Intermediate Area. Previous archaeological research has shown that hilltops on Roatán were chosen in prehispanic times for the location of the largest and most prominent sites, and several hypotheses have been put forward to explain the unique location of these sites. Despite the island's potential for addressing questions regarding the culture and history of this poorly understood region of Honduras, Roatán's status as Honduras' top tourist destination has resulted in the altering of its landscape in irreversible ways, including the destruction of archaeological sites. Given this unique situation, site preservation and the study of settlement patterns on Roatán are intricately related, and they both need to be carried out simultaneously if research into the past of this island is to continue, since without immediate site preservation what little we can learn on prehispanic settlement patterns might be lost.
Using data compiled from previous archaeological research on Roatán, as well as data acquired through pedestrian survey carried out during the 2009 season of the University of South Florida (USF)'s Project Roatán, I have developed a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) geodatabase in order to provide a broader perspective on both prehispanic and modern settlement patterns. An analysis of site locations with regards to their topography shows that the majority of sites recorded on Roatán are in fact located on hilltops, an observation which, when complemented with other archaeological and ethnohistoric data from northeast Honduras, suggests a possible ritual importance of these spaces. An analysis of current settlement and urban growth patterns shows the degree to which development has encroached upon previously untouched areas of the island, which has impacted an increasing number of archaeological sites. I analyze the various factors and agents that have resulted in this situation, and highlight the need to carry out archaeological research that has heritage management and site preservation as one of its core priorities. These efforts must address the various components that define the management of archaeological heritage in Roatán and Honduras, including local socioeconomic context, national and international policy and law, as well as the various stakeholders with vested interests in cultural heritage. Due to the lack of adequate structures for managing and preserving archaeological resources on Roatán, I argue that approaches such as community participation and increased engagement from the part of researchers outside of Honduras' heritage management sphere are adequate and realistic short-term solutions to the pressing issue of protecting archaeological sites constantly in danger of being affected or destroyed.
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Clayback, Kim Beth. "Investigation of normalized streamflow in West Central Florida and extrapolation to ungaged coastal fringe tributaries." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2006. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0001689.
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North, Leslie A. "Application and refinement of the karst disturbance index in west-central, Florida." [Tampa, Fla.] : University of South Florida, 2007. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0002147.
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Johnson, Melissa H. "Contextualizing Obesity among Latino Farmworkers: A Critical Analysis of Structural and Cultural Processes Affecting Farmworker Health and Nutrition in Central Florida." Scholar Commons, 2010. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3655.
Full textAbstract:
Migrant and seasonal farmworkers play a critical role in the U.S. economy,
producing food for the American public, while their suffering is often rendered invisible
by their existence on the margins of society. The low wages associated with farm labor
combined with the largely undocumented status of this population severely limits access
to food, housing, and health care, resulting in poor health outcomes. Through the use of a
critical anthropological approach, this research examines the social, cultural, political,
and economic context of obesity among Latino migrant and seasonal farmworkers in
Central Florida. Ethnographic research methods were used to explore perceptions about
the relationships between the body, food, and health among Latino farmworkers,
contextualizing these cultural beliefs within the broader, macro-level factors affecting
health, including immigration, agricultural, and economic policies. Furthermore, this
study compares the perceptions of farmworkers with those of healthcare workers that
serve this community, examining the implications that conceptions of culture and
“cultural competency” have for developing health interventions.
The findings of this research reveal that, in contrast to the beliefs of health
providers, farmworkers do understand the relationship between health and body size, and
do not show preferences for overweight or obese figures. Conceptions of food, on the
farmworker interviews indicate an interest for more nutritional information. This suggests
a need to develop nutritional information that is culturally relevant for Latino
farmworkers. Additionally, however, economic constraints significantly limit
farmworkers’ abilities to purchase sufficient and nutritious foods. The combination of
economic constraints and varying nutritional knowledge has significant health
implications for farmworkers, most notably in terms of the connection to diet-related
health problems such as obesity. The implications of these findings indicate that
nutritional interventions focused solely on education without addressing the economic
and political processes that constrain farmworkers’ agency will have little overall effect
on the health of this population. This research, therefore, emphasizes the importance of
using a holistic approach to understand the complexity of health and nutritional issues
among farmworkers.
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Sisson, Leila. "Examining the Attitudes and Outcomes of Students Enrolled in a Developmental Mathematics Course at a Central Florida Community College." Scholar Commons, 2011. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3348.
Full textAbstract:
Examining students' attitudes toward mathematics has become extremely popular. This study examined the attitudes and outcomes of Beginning Algebra students at a central Florida community college. Quantitative methods were used to examine the students' initial composite attitudes toward mathematics. The initial composite attitude was used to examine the relationship between CPT scores and State Competency Exam scores. Further analysis was conducted to examine completers' and non-completers' initial attitudes. The composite change score was determined and quantitative methods were used to examine interactions between class sections, age, gender, and ethnicity.
The study began with 217 students and ended with 158. The initial attitude scores were determined for the 217 students who completed the Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) in the first week of the fall 2010 semester. The ATMI was administered again in the 12th week of the semester to gather an end-of-semester attitude score. Throughout the semester several students withdrew, and the final sample size was 158 students. A change score was determined using the final sample size and subtracting the beginning attitude scores from the ending attitude scores. The change score was used to examine whether an interaction occurred between class sections, age, gender, and ethnicity. Students' initial composite attitude was revealed to be slightly positive. Students' initial composite scores for the factor of value implied that these students valued mathematics. The factors of self-confidence and enjoyment were slightly positive. Motivation was the most negative response with a below neutral composite attitudinal score. No significance was found between the CPT score and student composite initial attitudinal score, nor was there any significance between the State Competency Exam and composite initial attitudinal score. Completers of the course were found to have a more positive composite attitude score than non-completers. Students' change score indicated that the students' overall attitudes had a positive change over the semester. A statistically significant association was found in change scores in the ATMI factor of value among these age groups. These findings have implications for professors who seek to identify students' attitudes in order to intervene and assist students to become more positive toward mathematics and thus possibly improve students' success in mathematics.
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Dippold, Angela C. "Detailed Geochemical Investigation of the Mineralogic Associations of Arsenic and Antimony Within the Avon Park Formation, Central Florida: Implications for Aquifer Storage and Recovery." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2009. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0002992.
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Santiago, Martha. "A Case Study in Public K-12 Education: Hispanic Female (Latinas) School Administrators’ Perceptions of their Role and Experiences as Principals within Central Florida." Scholar Commons, 2008. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3.
Full textAbstract:
A gradual but significant change in America's demographic composition has occurred during the last few years. Millions of Hispanic students, many of them immigrants, have been absorbed in the nation's schools, turning public institutions into multiracial, multicultural, and to some degree, multilingual sites (Tallerico, 2001; Ferrandino, 2001).
In light of the demographic changes and the important role of school leaders, how is the Hispanic principal in the K-12 public schools reflecting the growth of the Hispanic school population? This research studies perceptions the Hispanic female principal attached to their role and role expectations as a principal.
This qualitative case study interviewed eight female Hispanic principals in Central Florida three times. Seven major themes of perceptions and meanings principals attached to their experiences evolved: strong family support, no pre-conceived self-imposed obstacles, high sense of self-efficacy, token Hispanic, being placed in a high Hispanic population school, no consensus regarding principal roles, had Latina mentors, and utilized parts of Latina culture in their professional practice.
Implications included both strong family support for the Latinas entering a professional field and that the principals did not experience self-imposed obstacles. Both need further research, as does the strong sense that these Latina principals perceived they had entered the American mainstream. The strong sense of efficacy needs further research for its causes. Lack of consensus on principal roles has considerable implication for graduate leadership education, needing further research. Of considerable interest is researching what parts of the Latina culture were utilized in their professional practice, and what implication does this have for professional leadership education generally.
Further recommendations for research include a need to evaluate which district policies are effective in recruiting and retaining of Latina administrators. This research may lead to implementing best practices in districts' hiring practices and retention programs that lead to leadership that is more diverse while addressing the underrepresentation of Latinas in counties and institutions selected.
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Gao, Jie. "Lake stage fluctuation study in West-Central Florida using multiple regression models." [Tampa, Fla.] : University of South Florida, 2004. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/SFE0000502.
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Hilgert, Bradley Robert. "Beyond Martyrdom: The Testimonial Voice of Ignacio Ellacuría and the Convergence of His Critical Thinking From Central America in Salvadoran Literature." The Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429658235.
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Mayo, Jr James B. Jr. "Negotiating Curricular Boundaries And Sexual Orientation: The Lived Experiences Of Gay Secondary Teachers In West Central Florida." Scholar Commons, 2005. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/763.
Full textAbstract:
There is little known about the daily lives of gay teachers at school. Studies have been conducted in this area, but the wide range of individual life experiences makes it difficult to define the gay teacher experience. Gay teachers geographic location, gender, age,and race, are a few of those factors that will have a direct influence upon their lives.Therefore, I believe more focused, regional or case studies will yield better understandings of the lives that gay teachers lead at school.
Until now, no other study had investigated the lives of gay teachers in West Central Florida. I decided to focus this study on male teachers who teach in secondary schools because I believe the lesbian experience at school differs to such a degree to warrant aseparate study for them. I also believe that secondary teachers must confront controversial issues that are connected to the mandated curriculum and a more mature student audience that will be more apt to ask questions about those issues to a far greater extent than elementary school students.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the lived experiences of gay male teachers in West Central Florida and uncover their understandings of various key issues:the perceived impact of their sexual orientation on curricular decision-making, the perceived impact of their sexual orientation on classroom management, and their understandings of the perceived barriers to addressing homophobic language and coming out at school. After six months of conducting personal interviews, engaging in telephone conversations, and exchanging electronic mail messages with the seven participants inthis study, my analysis of the data resulted in the emergence of ten themes: (1) gay themed materials in the classroom, (2) interactions with students perceived to be gay, (3)separation of informants private lives from life at school, (4) informants perceptions ofproper conduct by a gay male teacher, (5) challenges and problems faced by the informants at school, (6) informants understandings of how students use homophobic language, (7) informants use of humor in the classroom, (8) informants relationships and interactions with colleagues at school, (9) informants perceptions of the acceptance of gay male teachers, and (10) informants perceived special talents of gay male teachers.
In the end, all seven informants shared their unique stories, but demonstrated some commonalities as well. All of them addressed gay-themed issues when they came up in class, all addressed homophobic language to some degree, and, with the exception of one individual, most agreed that it was best for gay male teachers to remain closeted at work, even if they personally wished that it could be different. I believe the one dissenting voice offers hope that at some time in the near future, gay male teachers will be able to be out at school despite the negative stereotypes that surround them. Further, the one dissenter demonstrated his ability to help all students better understand diversity, and his presence increases the possibility that someday teachers, administrators, and students will all be more open to accept the existence of and the performance of multiple forms of masculinity at school.
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Lynch, Tristam W. "The Evolution of Modern Central American Street Gangs and The Political Violence They Present: Case Studies of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2008. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0002642.
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Beck, Tanya M. "Morphodynamics of Two Anthropogenically Altered Tidal Inlets: New Pass and Big Sarasota Pass, West-Central Florida." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2008. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0002538.
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Riedl, Susannah Christina. "The effects of gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) translocation on movements, reproductive activity, and body condition of resident and translocated individuals in Central Florida." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2006. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0001681.
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Harley, Grant L. "A GIS-based inventory of terrestrial caves in West Central Florida : implications on sensitivity, disturbance, ownership and management priority." [Tampa, Fla.] : University of South Florida, 2007. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0002234.
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Quasem, Ishtiaque. "The Citric Acid Cycle of Thiomicrospira crunogena: An Oddity Amongst the Proteobacteria." Scholar Commons, 2009. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3680.
Full textAbstract:
Thiomicrospira crunogena, a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chemolithoautotroph,
uses the Calvin-Bensen-Bassham cycle to fix carbon. To meet its biosynthetic needs for
oxaloacetate, oxoglutarate, and succinyl-coA, one would expect that this obligately
autotrophic Gammaproteobacterium would use a ‘wishbone’ version of the citric acid
cycle (CAC) to synthesize the intermediates necessary for biosynthesis, instead of the
fully oxidative version to minimize carbon loss as carbon dioxide. However, upon
examination of its complete genome sequence, it became apparent that this organism did
not fulfill this expectation.
Instead of a wishbone pathway, T. crunogena appears to run a fully oxidative
CAC. The cycle is ‘locked’ in the oxidative direction by replacement of the reversible
enzyme malate dehydrogenase with malate: quinone oxidoreductase, which is capable
only of operation in the oxidative direction. Furthermore, oxoglutarate decarboxylation is
catalyzed by oxoglutarate: acceptor oxidoreductase. The presence of both
oxidoreductases was confirmed via assays on T. crunogena cell extracts.
To determine whether this peculiar CAC was novel, complete genome sequences
of ~340 Proteobacteria were examined via BLAST and COG searches in the Integrated
Microbial Genome database. Genes catalyzing steps in the CAC were collected from
each organism and vetted for paralogs that had adopted an alternative, ‘non-CAC’
function through genome context and cluster analysis. Alignments were made with the
remaining sequences and were verified by comparing them to curated alignments at Pfam
database and examination of active site residues. Phylogenetic trees were constructed
from these alignments, and instances of horizontal gene transfer were determined by
comparison to a 16S tree.
These analyses verified that the CAC in T. crunogena is indeed unique, as it does
not resemble any of the canonical cycles of the six classes of proteobacteria.
Furthermore, three steps of the nine in its CAC appear to be catalyzed by enzymes
encoded by genes that are likely to have been acquired via horizontal gene transfer. The
gene encoding citrate synthase, and perhaps aconitase, are most closely affiliated with
those present in the Cyanobacteria, while those encoding oxoglutarate: acceptor
oxidoreductase cluster among the Firmicutes, and malate: quinone oxidoreductase
clusters with the Epsilonproteobacteria.
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Koenig, Kimberly Sarah. "Landscape Change In The South Prong Alafia River Basin." Scholar Commons, 2006. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3914.
Full textAbstract:
West-central Florida has supplied much of the national and global demand for phosphate for over 100 years. The two main tributaries of the Alafia River, the North and South Prongs, have been extensively modified by the strip mining, benefaction, and chemical processing activities associated with the phosphate mining industry. Using aerial photos, an analysis of landscape change in the South Prong Alafia River drainage basin (357.4 km2) between 1940, 1970, and 2004 was conducted. A modified Florida Land Use, Land Cover, and Forms Classification System code (FLUCCS) was used to classify and measure change through the study period. Change in the study area is characterized by a dramatic decline in the area covered by natural lands and an increase in the area covered by anthropogenic activity. Increasing 43.8 km2 from 1940 -- 1970 and 199.96 km2 from 1970 -- 2004, phosphate mining activity is the primary force of landscape alteration in the study area. The historic headwaters of the main stream, Hooker's Prairie, is completely replaced by mining-induced landforms in 2004. Net change in landscape composition from 1940 -- 2004 is 1) phosphate mining (+243.76 km2), 2) surface hydrology (-113.13 km2), 3) urban (+2.42 km2), agriculture (+19.76 km2), and undisturbed / other (-139.66 km2). The results of this study indicate that the regional environment and hydrology have been heavily impacted by phosphate mining activity. The critical management of the industry's environmental impacts and reclamation practices is essential for the current and future health of the local environment and its inhabitants.
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Mitraki, Chrysoula. "Ontogeny and Littoral Structure of Lakes Created on Phosphate Mined Lands of Central Florida." Scholar Commons, 2012. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/4167.
Full textAbstract:
Created lakes are an end product of phosphate mining in Florida. Beginning in 1975, Florida reclamation rules set criteria for phosphate created lakes aiming to approximate the structure of natural lakes, and emphasizing extensive littoral zones with both emergent and submersed vegetation.
Lake development relative to lake age and design were examined for 22 phosphate lakes representing a 40-year age trajectory, utilizing water quality and benthic invertebrate communities from littoral and deep-water locations (Chapter 1). The relative importance of morphometry and lake age in the development of littoral plant communities was examined using multiple vegetation surveys throughout the year, in a separate investigation of 39 littoral locations from 13 lakes reflecting age and morphometry gradients (Chapter 2). The same littoral locations were used to investigate benthic community composition in relation to emergent and submersed plant habitats (depth of 0.5 m and 1.5 m respectively), water quality, sediment characteristics, morphometry and lake age (Chapter 3).
Phosphate lakes >5.5m deep are warm monomictic water bodies, stratifying from April to October/November, and developing thermoclines at approximately 4 m. Shallow lakes (<5.5 m deep) are polymictic. Phosphate lakes become eutrophic or hypertrophic immediately after creation and remain so through time. Unlike reservoirs, they do not go through a trophic surge, which is an initial period of great productivity that declines as sediment nutrient storage is exhausted. Among the 22 sampled lakes, epilimnetic physical and chemical water quality variables (Secchi depth, chlorophyll a, turbidity, pH) did not differ along the age trajectory. Only specific conductance declined significantly, 10-20 years after lake creation, most probably due to bank stabilization. All water quality variables were within the range of natural lakes in the region, and were most similar to urban rather than suburban or rural natural lakes.
Benthic invertebrate abundance (total, Chironomidae, Oligochaeta, invertebrates other than Chironomidae and Oligochaeta) and taxa richness displayed great variability with lake age and did not differ among decadal lake groups at any depths examined (1 m, deepest point). Invertebrate abundance did not differ between littoral and deep habitats, except for lakes >10 years old, where littoral abundance was greater than deep-water abundace, suggesting faster colonization of the littoral zone. Littoral taxa richness was greater than richness in deep-water, which was attributed to taxa other than Chironomidae and Oligochaeta. Deep-water and most littoral habitats were dominated by Chironomidae, whereas Oligochaeta were occasionally dominant in the littoral zone. Dissolved oxygen was the variable explaining most variance of both littoral abundance and richness.
Littoral macrophyte communities in phosphate lakes differed from natural Florida lakes. Although most phosphate lakes developed emergent littoral zones, submersed vegetation was absent, with few exceptions of the non-indigenous Hydrilla verticillata. Plants clustered in groups reflecting their hydrological designations. Frequently encountered plants classified either in the obligate wetland plant group, characterized by Typha, and inhabiting mostly intermediate-age lakes or the facultative wetland plant group, characterized by Panicum repens. Most plants in the latter group were bimodally distributed in youngest and oldest lakes, whereas few plants were ubiquitous. Littoral plant community composition was determined by both lake morphology and age, but the relative influence of these two components was not clear. Littoral plant composition was a good predictor of lake development.
Morphometric (slope) and sediment characteristics (organic content, particle size) did not differ between the two littoral depths examined (0.5 m and 1.5 m). Slope correlated moderately but significantly with lake age, and organic content was low in all samples.
Total littoral benthic invertebrate abundance and its major component Chironomidae, started from low values at newly created lakes and remained low or increased unpredictably with time. Total, Chironomidae, Oligochaeta and Gastropoda abundances did not differ between the depths of 0.5 m and 1.5 m, whereas taxa richness and the abundance of invertebrates other than Chironomidae, Oligochaeta, and Gastropoda was greater at the shallower depth (0.5 m).The relative effect of lake morphology versus age on benthic invertebrate composition was not clear. Total and Chironomidae abundance increased with lake age at 0.5 m, and bank slope at 1.5 m. Both littoral invertebrate abundance and richness in phosphate lakes were lower than in a natural, mesotrophic, macrophyte-dominated lake in the region, characterized by great Oligochaeta densities.
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Bezdecny, Kristine. "Placing Reedy Creek Improvement District in Central Florida: A Case Study in Uneven Geographical Development." Scholar Commons, 2011. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3010.
Full textAbstract:
This study is primarily about the theory of uneven geographical development. In an era when it is proclaimed that, through globalization, the world has become flat, the unevenness of economic and social development is often overlooked or suppressed. As the nexus between global and local processes, the urban space often becomes the site of conflict between those defining the hegemonic narrative of the space, from a global and flat perspective; and those experiencing heterogenous local narratives, whose uneven positions are reinforced by this hegemonic narrative.
This study explores the conditions of uneven geographical development in the urban space of central Florida. Focusing primarily on the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), better known by much of the world as Walt Disney World, and on Celebration, the community developed by the Disney Corporation in the 1990s, the relationship between urban development and tourism, the defining economic sector in the region, are explored in the context of space-place, global-local narratives.
This is done using the four conditions of David Harvey's Theory of Uneven Geographical Development. First, the history of sociopolitical processes within the urban space are explored as creating a framework upon which contemporary uneven geographical development could be built. Second, the development and continued power of the RCID in central Florida are examined within the context of accumulation by dispossession. Third, Celebration as a consumed company town is examined in the context of accumulation across space-time. Finally, the relationships between the RCID and Celebration, and the rest of the central Florida region, are developed in the context of struggles occurring simultaneously across multiple scales.
This study shows that the theory of uneven geographical development applies well to a region that is heavily dependent upon the tourist sector for its economy, and thereby works to control the narrative of that space to continue attracting consumers. It also shows that, while the theory of uneven geographical development works well for a space that is a primary global tourist sink, it needs additional theoretical sophistication in order to better suit rapidly changing global processes.
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Gonzalez-Velez, Enrique. "Safety Evaluation of Roadway Lighting Illuminance Levels and its Relationship with Nighttime Crash Injury Severity for West Central Florida Region." Scholar Commons, 2011. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3122.
Full textAbstract:
The main role of roadway lighting is to produce quick, accurate and comfortable visibility during nighttime conditions. It is commonly known that good lighting levels enable motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists to obtain necessary visual information in an effective and efficient manner. Many previous studies also proved that roadway lighting minimizes the likelihood of crashes by providing better visibility for roadway users.
Appropriate and adequate roadway lighting illuminance levels for each roadway classification and pedestrian areas are essential to provide safe and comfortable usage. These levels are usually provided by national, or local standards and guidelines. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Plan Preparation Manual recommends a roadway lighting illuminance level average standard of 1.0 horizontal foot candle (fc) for all the roadway segments used in this research. The FDOT Plan Preparation Manual also states that this value should be considered standard, but should be increased if necessary to maintain an acceptable uniformity illuminance ratio.
This study aimed to find the relationship between nighttime crash injury severity and roadway lighting illuminance. To accomplish this, the research team analyzed crash data and roadway lighting illuminance measured in roadway segments within the West Central Florida Region. An Ordered Probit Model was developed to understand the relationship between roadway lighting illuminance levels and crash injury severity. Additionally, a Negative Binomial Model was used to determine which roadway lighting illuminance levels can be more beneficial in reducing the counts of crashes resulting in injuries.
A comprehensive literature review was conducted using longitudinal studies with and without roadway lighting. Results showed that on the same roadways there was a significant decrease in the number of nighttime crashes with the presence of roadway lighting. In this research, roadway lighting illuminance was measured every 40 feet using an Advanced Lighting Measurement System (ALMS) on a total of 245 centerline miles of roadway segments within the West Central Florida Region. The data were mapped and then analyzed using the existing mile post.
During the process of crash data analysis, it was observed that rear-end collisions were the most common first harmful event observed in all crashes, regardless of the lighting conditions. Meanwhile, the average injury severity for all crashes, was found to be possible injury regardless of the lighting conditions (day, dark, dusk, and dawn).
Finally, this research presented an Ordered Probit Model, developed to understand the existing relationship between roadway lighting illuminance levels and injury severity within the West Central Florida Region. It was observed that having a roadway lighting average moving illuminance range between 0.4 to 0.6 foot candles (fc) was more likely to have a positive effect in reducing the probability of injury severity during a nighttime crash. A Negative Binomial Model was conducted to determine if the roadway lighting average moving illuminance level, found on the Ordered Probit Model was beneficial in reducing crash injury severity during nighttime, would also be beneficial in reducing the counts of crashes resulting in injuries. It was observed that a roadway lighting average moving illuminance, range between 0.4 to 0.6 fc, was more likely to reduce the count of crashes resulting in injuries during nighttime conditions, thus increasing roadway safety. It was also observed that other factors such as pavement condition, site location (intersection or no intersection), number of lanes, and traffic volume can affect the severity and counts of nighttime crashes.
The results of this study suggest that simply adding more roadway lighting does not make the roadway safer. The fact is that a reduction in the amount of roadway lighting illuminance can produce savings in energy consumption and help the environment by reducing light pollution. Moreover, these results show that designing roadway lighting systems go beyond the initial design process, it also requires continuous maintenance. Furthermore, regulations for new developments and the introduction of additional lighting sources near roadway facilities (that are not created with the intent of being used for roadway users) need to be created.
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Guzy, Jackie. "Maintaining biodiversity with a mosaic of wetlands: factors affecting amphibian species richness among small isolated wetlands in central Florida." Scholar Commons, 2010. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/1652.
Full textAbstract:
The biodiversity value of a wetland is linked not only to its position in the landscape relative to other wetlands, but also to its habitat characteristics. I monitored amphibian species richness among 12 small, isolated, and undisturbed wetlands (which occur on lands permitted for phosphate mining) in central Florida during the 2005 and 2006 breeding seasons. I used seven habitat and landscape variables to characterize the environments of the wetlands and generalized linear models to determine which of these variables had the greatest influence on the occurrence of seven amphibian species (Anaxyrus terrestris, Gastrophryne carolinensis, Hyla gratiosa, Lithobates capito, L. catesbeianus, L. grylio, and Pseudacris nigrita verrucosa). Significant models for each species incorporated six of the seven habitat and landscape variables: distance to permanent water (2 spp.), distance to nearest wetland (3 spp.), vegetation heterogeneity (2 spp.), hydroperiod (2 spp.), presence/absence of fish (1 sp.), and distance to canopy cover (1 sp.). I suggest that source/sink metapopulation and patchy population dynamics in a given year are affected in part by environmental variables of ephemeral wetlands as they affect individual amphibian species. I suggest that a diversity of environmental conditions among wetlands produces the greatest amphibian biodiversity in this system, and that conservation and restoration efforts should emphasize environmental heterogeneity.
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Guindon, Kathryn Yvonne. "Evaluating Lethal and Sub-Lethal Effects of Catch-and-Release Angling in Florida's Central Gulf Coast Recreational Atlantic Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) Fishery." Scholar Commons, 2011. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3134.
Full textAbstract:
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 tarpon, 11 suffered mortality as inferred from movement patterns (or lack thereof) or visual confirmation (i.e. shark attacks) which yields a combined total estimated catch-and-release mortality rate of 13% (95% confidence interval: 6-21%). There was no significant difference in mortality between the two estuarine systems. Associations between tarpon mortality and angling duration, handling time, fish length, bait type (artificial versus natural), and hook type (circle versus "J") were not significant. Hook location (foul-hooking) and swimming condition at release were significant factors on tarpon mortality (P<0.05). Shark predation was the primary cause of post-release mortality (64%). Excluding predation, the overall mortality rate was estimated at 5% and attributed to poor handling and irreparable physiological damage from angling.
Angling events will cause anaerobic activity resulting in physiological disruptions that may have consequences compromising the health and survival of tarpon. Both adult (mature, >70 pounds, 31.8 kg) and sub-adult (sexually immature, <20 pounds, 9 kg) tarpon support Florida's recreational fishery, so maximizing post-release survival and minimizing sub-lethal stress effects of both size classes are critical to their sustainability. In this study, stress responses after exhaustive exercise (angling) were measured using an array of blood chemistry parameters, including hematocrit, hemoglobin, and plasma glucose, lactate, sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and cortisol. Angled, adults (n=45) were compared to large tarpon in a resting state (controls, n=6). Angled, sub-adults (n=28) were compared to those in a resting state (n=9). Adult tarpon were then compared to sub-adults to determine any size-related, intra-species variation in stress responses after angling. Finally, because smaller tarpon are logistically easier to handle and may be subjected to prolonged air exposure by anglers for hook removal or photographs, we evaluated the effect of 60 seconds of air exposure with horizontal (n=9) or vertical (n=9) handling out of the water relative to non-air exposed (n=10) fish in angled sub-adult tarpon. Associations and interactions among the blood chemistry responses of tarpon from each treatment to angling duration, handling time, body size and environmental factors related to each capture event were evaluated using a non-parametric, multivariate redundancy analysis. The duration of the angling event had a positive effect on responses of some parameters, and responses were more extreme in adult tarpon than sub-adults. The exception was cortisol which was significantly higher in sub-adults. Environmental parameters were less influential than angling and handling on observed physiological responses. Sub-adults showed no difference in physiological responses among handling treatments with and without air exposure and exhibited no short term mortality. Using appropriate tackle and gear to reduce fight times and handling should help minimize metabolic and acid-base imbalances.
Tagging studies coupled with physiology can be a valuable tool for estimating post-release mortality and secondary stress responses of game fish, especially for large species that might be difficult to maintain in floating pens or tanks. Yet adverse effects of catch-and-release angling could also have population level consequences. Future studies should integrate biology and fish physiology to evaluate post-release recovery windows and establish lethal thresholds to provide potential predictive capability of mortality. In general, it appears that sub-adult and adult Atlantic tarpon along the Gulf coast of Florida can recover from physiological disturbances incurred during routine catch-and-release angling events in the recreational fishery when they are released in the absence of large predators. The anglers themselves can play a key role in tarpon conservation.
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Claros, Berlioz Esther María. "Al claroscuro: A rendering of the educational and schooling experiences of child migrants from the northern countries of Central America." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1574381333059751.
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Colson-Moon, Jamie Colleen. "Reproductive Characteristics, Multiple Paternity and Mating System in a Central Florida Population of the Gopher Tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus." [Tampa, Fla.] : University of South Florida, 2003. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/SFE0000115.
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