Public opinion in recent years has been seemingly manipulated by superfluous stories, bad press, and negative commentaries regarding the perceived "Medical Malpractice Crisis." It has initiated a political attack on Florida's tort system which has resulted in making valid medical malpractice claims even more so difficult for victimized plaintiffs to pursue. After months of diligent research, and with the loyal aid of my university advisors and the dedicated law librarians I've had the honor to work with, I have thoroughly analyzed Florida's past and present medical malpractice tort reforms and governing procedural laws; in addition to arguing, by virtue of this thesis, why these reforms were truly enacted, how traditional tort reforms have egregiously compromised public interests, why Florida's future--with regard to legislative change--is grim, and how new, innovative tort reforms--such as those established overseas--could genuinely benefit Floridians. The premise of the conclusion reached in this research is partially iterated in a quote by the critically acclaimed "Insurance Law Expert," Tom Baker: "...the medical malpractice myth. Built on a foundation of urban legend mixed with the occasional true story, supported by selective references to academic studies, and repeated so often that even the mythmakers forget the exaggeration, half truth, and outright misinformation employed in the service of their greater good, the medical malpractice myth has filled doctors, patients, legislators, and voters with the kind of fear that short circuits critical thinking." --Baker, T. (2005). The medical malpractice myth. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

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No description available.

The purpose of this survey was to identify and compare the specific factors relating to merit pay that teachers, principals, and superintendents in Central Florida would accept in the development and implementation of a merit pay plan. A questionnaire, based on an instrument that was used in a previous study on merit pay factors in 1970, was developed that consisted of 38 factors. A five-point ordinal scale was used to measure the educators' degree of acceptance for each factor. There were 14 Central Florida school districts that participated in the survey including 433 teachers, 211 principals, and 12 superintendents. The response rate was 62.6 percent. The chi square test was the primary test used for the statistical analysis. The test was utilized to compare group responses on a factor-by-factor basis. Some conclusions made based upon the analysis of data were: 1. Agreement existed by the educators in Central Florida on a majority of 38 factors. 2. Teachers and principals rejected the following factors: a. Set a quota on the number of teachers eligible for merit pay each year. b. Teacher evaluation should include summer work experiences which relate to teacher's field. c. Teacher evaluation should include as a criteria an advanced degree or certificate. d. Teacher evaluation should include college/university training beyond a degree or certificate. e. Teacher evaluation should include conference and convention participation. f. Teacher evaluation should include scores achieved on standardized tests. 3. Teachers rejected having the principal-be the primary evaluator, whereas principals and superintendents were in general agreement with this factor. 4. Teachers showed a difference on more factors when divided on the basis of experiential level (1 to 10 years versus 11 years and over). In summary, although there were statistically significant differences identified, the comparisons were more alike than different with the majority being differences in degree only.

Techniques for performance optimization and energy reduction were reviewed for application to water supply plants. Simple techniques were developed which permit intelligent management decisions for plant operation growth. The techniques were applied to the Wewahootee Water Supply Plant, Cocoa, Florida. Optimum performance for the existing plant was determined together with a growth plan for reducing energy consumption and increasing the maximum flow capacity to meet demand through the year 2000. The following recommendations were made: 1. Plant operators should incorporate the optimized pump operation schedule presented herein. 2. Four existing pumps should be modified for dual speed operation, and a large capacity dual speed pump should be added. 3. One 10,400 foot section should be added to the 42-inch pipe by 1985 and a second section by 1990. 4. An economic analysis should be performed to determine if it is advantageous to accelerate installation of the 42-inch pipe. 5. The use of stored water should be considered to smooth the flow demands placed on the pumps.

Peninsula ribbon snakes, Thamnophis sauritus sackenii, were collected for 14 months. Of 90 individuals collected and examined, 42 were females, 29 were males, and 19 were neonates. Females had a larger body length than did males. The smallest, sexually mature female had a snout-vent length of 428 mm. Mating occurred from March through May. Parturition occurred from June through October. Vitellogenesis began in spring and ovulation occurred between April and May. Spermatogenic activity occurred from August through December and testes were regressed during other months.

Seasonal variation in zooplanton abundance and diversity in Spring Lake, Florida was studies between 1973 - 1976. This clear, sand bottom lake is considered among the most oligotrophic in central Florida. Sixty rotifer species, sixteen cladoceran species, and seven copepod species were collected during the three year study. Annual mean zooplanton abundances ranged between 70 individuals/l and 80 individuals/l. Rotifers were more abundant than either cladocerans or adult copepods. Rotifers and immature crustaceans comprised nearly 75% of the annual mean zooplankton abundance. There was no significant difference (P < 0.05) between years for the annual mean abundance of zooplankton. The monthly mean abundance of cladocerans and adult copepods was generally less than 5 individuals/l. The greater abundance of rotifers in comparison to other zooplankton was mainly responsible for the variation in the values of the Shannon and Simpson Indices. The monthly mean Shannon Index was usually between 3.0 and 4.0. Seasonal differences in zooplankton abundance were apparently due to water temperature and specific conductivity for the 1974 - 1975 and 1975 - 1976 study years. Shannon diversity was significantly correlated with dissolved oxygen for the 1973 - 1974 and 1974 - 1975 study years.

The utilization of ambulatory services by the health maintenance organization of Florida (HMO), independent practice association (IPA) model, was compared to a fee-for-service population. Each randomly selected group consisted of 250 patients being cared for by the same providers, at the same clinic, during the calendar year 1986. Demographic and clinical data was gathered from the office charts. Frequencies were evaluated by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and t-tests were run to substantiate variance at the 0.05 level of confidence. The HMO group is a younger population (t = 0.017), and the males are responsible for the increased utilization of ambulatory services (t = 0.001). Trends of increased utilization are noted across the age groups and the variables. The rate of hospitalization is insignificantly higher for the HMO population and covers a broader range of age groups. Consequently, this HMO IPA model increases the rate of ambulatory service utilization in a younger population without reducing the rate of hospitalization. Cost effectiveness studies and organizational management evaluations are needed.

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