American Studies Commons^™

Pilgrim’S Progress Progress: How A Novel Can Affect An Entire Culture’S Communication, Bruce Kuiper

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

In this discussion of The Pilgrim’s Progress, three main areas will be explored as ways to show why this book is so worthy of communication study and why it has endured for so long. The first area will be a deeper exploration of the book’s historical background and contemporary role at the end of the 17th century. For the second point, the cultural, social, literary, and communication effects will be examined, reinforcing the concept that the book’s impact was especially substantial in American history. Finally is an argument listing the reasons why a communication scholar should study The Pilgrim’s …

Comparison Of Visual Vs. Microscopic Methods To Detect Blood Splatter From An Intravascular Catheter With Engineered Sharps Injury Protection (Esip), Aiysha R. Ansari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Intravascular devices with engineered sharps injury protection (ESIP) are designed to reduce sharps injuries, but have not been investigated for blood splatter potential. In this laboratory-based experiment, which did not use human subjects, 100 intravenous catheters of the same type with a retraction mechanism, were tested for blood splatter. Once blood was obtained from a simulated brachial vein containing mock venous blood, the devices were placed in a testing chamber and scientific filters labeled A, B & C were used to capture blood splatter after activation. The blood splatter was examined visually and microscopically, and the filters were weighed pre- …

Development And Application Of An F/M Based Anaerobic Digestion Model And The Rt-Ribosyn Molecular Biology Method, Matthew Raymond Cutter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A simple anaerobic digestion model has been developed for a continuously-stirred tank reactor (CSTR), which links the specific biogas production rate to the food/microorganism ratio (F/M). The model treats the various microbial populations involved in the sequential biological processes involved in anaerobic digestion as a composite and links the entire biomass specific growth rate directly to the specific biogas production rate. The model was calibrated by determining the specific gas production rate for a range of F/M values using a municipal wastewater seed sludge. The model predictions for steady-state biogas production rates were compared to observed biogas production and volatile …

Don't Blame It On My Ovaries: Exploring The Lived Experience Of Women With Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome And The Creation Of Discourse, Jennifer Lynn Ellerman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder among females of childbearing age, affecting between 6-8% of the population. It is also the most common cause of infertility. Females with PCOS may have two or more of a constellation of symptoms that can potentially leave them at odds in terms of normative ideals of femininity. This study examines how feminist theory interrogates and analyzes knowledge about the body and PCOS, integrating the lived experiences of women to provide a deeper, more meaningful understanding of what it means to be a woman with PCOS.

Self-Assembly Of Self-Similar Structures By Active Tiles, Daria Karpenko

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The natural capacity of DNA for molecular self-assembly has already been exploited to create DNA based tiles which can self-assemble into nano-scale arrays and carry out nano-scale computation. Thus far, however, all such self-assembly has been passive, in the sense that the binding capacities of a tile are never altered throughout the assembly. The idea of active tiles, tiles that can send signals to each other and activate latent binding sites, has been proposed but never incorporated into a formal model. Here, I present an extension of the existent abstract tile assembly model by defining an active tile assembly and …

"You Have To Have Children To Be Happy:" Exploring Beliefs About Reproduction With Burmese Refugee Women In The United States, Kara E. Mcginnis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Burmese refugees are entering the US at record speed. Resettlement agencies focus on immediate needs, and ethnic community-based organizations (ECBOs) fill any service gaps through community-driven programs. The Tampa Bay Burmese Council (TBBC) is an ECBO in Tampa, FL dedicated to the Burmese community. This research explores the reproductive beliefs of the women in the community, paying particular attention to any differences that arise due to beliefs specific to their ethnic group. Findings include the importance of menses for women's health, the preference for both male and female children, a lack of knowledge about family planning methods, a tendency to …

Development Of A Tool For Pressure Ulcer Risk Assessment And Preventive Interventions In Ancillary Services Patients, Monica Shutts Messer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The incidence of nosocomial pressure ulcers has continued to increase in U.S. hospitals over the past 15 years despite the implementation of national preventive guidelines and the wide-spread use of validated risk assessment tools. The majority of preventive efforts and tools have been focused primarily on patients who are bed-ridden or immobile for extended periods. What has not been well studied or identified is the potential risk for pressure injury to patients undergoing diagnostic procedures in hospital ancillary units where extrinsic risk factors such as high interface pressures on procedure tables and friction and shear from positioning and transport can …

Testing A Model Of Bacterial Vaginosis Among Black Women, Jessica Brumley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bacterial Vaginosis is an inbalance of vaginal flora which has been associated with increased risk of numerous gynecological and obstetric morbidities including increased risk of acquisition of HIV from an infected partner and increased risk of preterm delivery. Black race has been consistently identified as a risk factor for BV. Black women also suffer from significant disparities in most of the morbidities also associated with BV when compared to women of other ethnicities and races. Traditional predictors of BV such as douching practices and sexual behaviors do not fully account for the racial disparities in BV prevalence. Researchers have begun …

Overcoming Adversity: Resilience Of Low-Income, Nonresidential, Black Fathers, Erica Elizabeth Coates

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Objective. This study examined the factors associated with higher levels of paternal involvement among low-income, nonresidential, Black fathers. Method. Participants were 110 fathers of children up to the age of 10. Participants completed psychometrically sound measures of social support, spirituality, family of origin relationships, coparenting relationship quality, psychological well-being, motivation, conviction history, resilience, and father involvement. Results. A simultaneous multiple regression indicated that better psychological well-being and coparenting relationship quality and lower conviction rates since the birth of the child were significant predictors of higher levels of paternal involvement. Mediational analysis revealed that coparenting relationship quality partially mediated the relationship …

Investigation And Synthesis Of Novel Graphene-Based Nanocomposites For Hydrogen Storage, Anthony Joseph D'Angelo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is of great interest to develop and utilize a high surface area material with optimized hydrogen sorption properties. The need for a renewable energy source to replace automobile gasoline has become more critical in the past decade. Hydrogen is a viable fuel source for automobile usage; however, the question of how hydrogen will be safely and efficiently stored still remains. Critical factors for optimum hydrogen storage include ambient conditions and low activation temperature for adsorption and desorption phenomena. In order for optimum hydrogen adsorption to be achieved, the properties of (1) high surface area, (2) optimum hydrogen adsorption energy, …

Goal Attainment As A Function Of Depressive Status In Women: The Role Of Problem-Solving, Lindsay Brauer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the theoretical importance of goal-related deficits in individuals with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), relatively empirical research has examined goal generation and perceived goal attainment in depression vulnerable individuals. The

current project sought to examine the impact of depressive status on perceived goal attainment in currently depressed, remitted depressed, and never-depressed women. In addition, perceived problem-solving skills, a construct thought to be critical for goal

striving and in goal attainment was also examined. Unexpectedly, no effects of depressive status on perceived goal attainment or overall perceived problem-solving skills were observed. Results did however reveal group differences in perceived control in …

Multidimensional Spectroscopy Of Semiconductor Quantum Dots, Jason Michael Bylsma

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The coherent properties of semiconductor nanostructures are inherently difficult to measure and one-dimensional spectroscopies are often unable to separate inhomogeneous and homogeneous linewidths. We have refined and improved a method of performing multidimensional Fourier transform spectroscopy based on four-wave

mixing (FWM) experiments in the box geometry. We have modified our system with broadband beamsplitters in all interferometer arms, high-resolution translation stages and the ability to work in reflection geometry. By improving the phase-stability of our setup and scanning pulse delays with sub-optical cycle precision, we are able to

reproduce 2DFT spectra of GaAs multiple quantum wells. With the FWM signal …

A Philosophical Analysis Of Intellectual Property: In Defense Of Instrumentalism, Michael A. Kanning

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis argues in favor of an instrumental approach to Intellectual Property (IP). I begin by reviewing justifications for IP that have been offered in recent literature, including Lockean labor theory, Hegelian personality theory, Kantian property theory and utilitarianism. Upon a close and careful analysis, I argue that none of these justifications suffice to ground contemporary IP practice. I review some recent works that offer `pluralist' justifications for IP, which draw from multiple theories in order to account for the diverse field of IP-related laws and practices in existence. I argue that these pluralist theories are also insufficient, because there …

Specialization In Small-Scale Societies: The Organization Of Pottery Production At Kolomoki (9er1), Early County, Georgia, Travis Laforge

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Investigating the organization of production systems can reveal much about a society, in particular how resources and labor were allocated, and the influence that economic, political, social, and ceremonial institutions had on the production process. Interpreting the nature of specialized production is useful for understanding how production was organized. In turn, the degree of standardization exhibited by the goods being produced is used to determine the nature of specialization. While archaeological research regarding specialized production has expanded over time to incorporate a wide range of societies, such research is often focused on complex societies. The research presented here focuses on …

Larths Club - Bowling Green, Kentucky (Mss 395), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 395. Minutes, yearbooks, correspondence, financial records, photographs, and other records of the LARTHS Club, a literary club founded in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1925.

A Principled Approach To Policy Composition For Runtime Enforcement Mechanisms, Zachary Negual Carter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Runtime enforcement mechanisms are an important and well-employed method for ensuring an execution only exhibits acceptable behavior, as dictated by a security policy. Wherever interaction occurs between two or more parties that do not completely trust each other, it is most often the case that a runtime enforcement mechanism is between them in some form, monitoring the exchange. Considering the ubiquity of such scenarios in the computing world, there has been an increased effort to build formal models of runtime monitors that closely capture their capabilities so that their effectiveness can be analysed more precisely. While models have grown more …

Rainwater Harvesting Storage Methods And Self Supply In Uganda, Jonathan Peter Blanchard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Self supply is an emerging approach to water supply which focuses on fostering household investment in incremental improvements to their water sources. When successful, it can lower costs and increase sustainability by offering users a larger share

of ownership in their own supply, and harnessing the already existing strengths of a community rather than trying to impose an external perspective. In addition to well upgrading and source protection, one of the key self supply areas is rainwater harvesting.

Uganda has a diverse selection of rainwater storage options, but many of them are scattered and disparate.

The objective of this study …

Novel Encapsulation Of Oxidizer Applied To Galvanic Cells: Aluminum / H2o2 Galvanic Cell As A Case Study, Marlyn Colon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The work presented in this thesis aims to address the obstacles that side reactions create in aluminum / H2O2 galvanic cells by proposing to control the cathodic reactant, H2O2, via encapsulation. Encapsulation of the cathodic reactant is achieved utilizing a non-ionic surfactant vesicle (i.e. niosome). Once encapsulated, a second control element over the cathodic reactant is provided. The use of a polymer will be implemented to achieve stability and render further control over the encapsulated H2O2 solution. Implementation of the proposed novel cathodic control system in aluminum / H2O2 galvanic cells aims to minimize aluminum consumption and increase cell efficiency. …

A Systematic Review Of Interventions To Increase Mental Health Service Use, Jennifer Greene

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Relatively few pre-treatment interventions to increase out-patient mental health (MH) service use have been created and experimentally tested. Therefore, not only is there limited availability of these interventions, it is uncertain whether existing interventions are effective. Moreover, it is unclear which components of the interventions are effective. To address these gaps in knowledge, a systematic review of pre-treatment interventions was conducted, using the Cochrane Review methodology. Three primary outcomes were evaluated: attendance at any type of out-patient MH visit; number of appointments of any type of out-patient MH visit; and/or initiation and adherence to psychotropic medication. PubMed and PsycINFO databases …

An Examination Of Self-Directed Learning Readiness In Executive-Level Fire Officers, Steven G. Knight

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the self-directed learning readiness in executive fire officers in relation to the independent variables of personality type, educational attainment, and professional designation. This research utilized a quantitative design.

This study utilized the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) with a sample of 250 professional firefighters. The total sample was divided equally between executive-level fire officers and firefighters at 125 each from professional departments in the Southeastern United States. Results were that the mean SDLRS score for the executive-level fire officers was 233.7 and significantly higher than the …