American Studies Commons^™

Visual Search For Smoking Stimuli: Detection And Distraction, Jason A. Oliver

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Extensive research has shown that the attentional systems of addicted individuals are biased towards drug-related stimuli, but despite several decades of effort these results have frequently been inconsistent. Though commonly believed to result from addiction and dependence, cognitive research would suggest that frequent exposure to drug-related stimuli could affect the attentional processing of drug-related cues even if no actual drug use occurs. The present investigation examined attentional bias for smoking cues using a novel visual search paradigm amongst smokers currently in nicotine withdrawal and fully satiated smokers, as well as a non-smoker control group. Variables related to smoking behavior, as …

The Threat To Democracy In Brazil's Public Sphere, Daniel Nettuno

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis looks at the nature of violence with its endemic, and increasingly epidemic presence in Brazil. I analyze the structure of the justice system, police force, and the many governmental security programs in order to better explain why Brazil is so violent and its government has been unable to control this violence. Living under violent conditions, Brazil has become a society where the efficient functioning of the public sphere has been undermined. This public space, shared by citizens, is what many academics believe to be a critical component of a robust and functioning democracy. In Brazil, it is shown, …

Evaluating The Get Into Fitness Today (Gift) Program: Weight Loss And The Roles Of Education And Empowerment, Emily Koby Novicki

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of Get Into Fitness Today (GIFT), a health program for adults that promotes balanced nutrition, physical activity, and weight loss through weekly meetings that provide education and social support. In addition to investigating the effects of GIFT, this evaluation sought to better understand explanatory models used by participants and program staff, and the roles of education and empowerment in weight loss and health education. This mixed methods, case study evaluation consisted of quantitative analysis of existing program records for 664 participants, 40 hours of participant observation of class sessions with ten GIFT groups, and follow-up …

To See And Be Seen: Exploring Layers Of Instructional Leadership And Supervision In The Enactment Of A District-Wide Teacher Evaluation Reform, Jenifer E. Neale

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes instructional leadership and evaluation protocols from a large, diverse district in the Southeastern United States in order to investigate layers of accountability and tensions created when principals are asked to fill the dual roles of both instructional leader and supervisor in a newly implemented teacher evaluation system reform. For this dissertation I investigate the role of the principal as a colleague and mentor and compare this with the role of the principal as supervisor and evaluator in hierarchical systems. I include the role of the peer evaluator, a new position, in my analysis. Critical discourse analysis is …

Nearer, My Farm, To Thee: A Spatial Analysis Of African American Settlement Patterns In Hillsborough County, Florida, Matthew Andrew O'Brien

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have demonstrated their utility in predictively modeling the location of archaeological sites, and providing a framework for cataloging sites eligible for heritage management status. The intent of this GIS-based study is to begin to create a geohistorically organized database of information culled from historic documents and archaeological excavation. In this case study of postbellum land tenure in Hillsborough County, Florida, a GIS-based approach is used to demonstrate the impacts of federal and state land ownership policy decisions during the Reconstruction Era and beyond. GIS data are also used to reveal information about how people use their …

The Effect Of Various Carbohydrate Supplements On Postprandial Blood Glucose Response In Female Soccer Players, Nina Pannoni

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of different types of carbohydrates on blood glucose response in collegiate soccer athletes at rest. This will help to determine the effectiveness of a carbohydrate supplement in providing sustained energy and maintained performance if ingested prior to a soccer match. METHODS: In a cross-over design, 10 female collegiate soccer players (n= 10, age 20.10 ± .99 years, height 65.55 ± 2.77 inches, weight 64.12 ± 8.36 kilograms) from the University of South Florida reported to the laboratory on five separate occasions after an overnight fast. Once a baseline blood …

Lit From Within: Contemporary Masters On The Art And Craft Of Writing, Kevin Haworth, Dinty W. Moore

Ohio University Press Open Access Books

Lit from Within offers creative writers a window into the minds of some of America’s most celebrated contemporary authors. Witty, direct, and thought–provoking, these essays offer something to creative writers of all backgrounds and experience. With contributions from fiction writers, poets, and nonfiction writers, this is a collection of unusual breadth and quality.

Contributors: Lee K. Abbott, Rick Bass, Claire Bateman, Charles Baxter, Ron Carlson, Billy Collins, Peter Ho Davies, Carl Dennis, Stephen Dunn, Robin Hemley, Tony Hoagland, David Kirby, Maggie Nelson, Francine Prose, Mary Ruefle

Multivariate Anti-Inflammatory Approaches To Rescue Neurogenesis And Cognitive Function In Aged Animals, Sandra Antonieta Acosta

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Aging is considered the number one risk factor to develop neuropathologies such as memory loss, senile dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and Parkinson's disease. Neurodegenerative diseases tend to start during adulthood, and aggravate over time, making them difficult to prevent and to treat. In the Unites States, demographic studies by U.S. Bureau of the Census have determined that our aging population of >65 years is expected to increase from the present 35 million to 78 million in 2030. This would result, not only to an increase of …

Impact Of A Wellness Clinic Visit On Cardiovascular Risk Biomarkers In Employees Of A Va Medical Center, Margaret Asomaning

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Worksite screening programs are increasingly being provided by employers as a means to reduce cardiovascular risk in employees. A screening program that consists of fasting serum analysis of glucose plus a lipid panel is offered yearly to employees at the VA medical center in Tampa. A retrospective study was conducted to determine if a wellness clinic exposure resulted in significant changes in employees' markers of cardiovascular risk.

Methods: Computerized records were used to follow serial outcomes for glucose, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol in employees whose screening results showed abnormal levels of one or more of …

Children Who Die Of Abuse: An Examination Of The Effects Of Perpetrator Characteristics On Fatal Versus Non-Fatal Child Abuse, Donald L. Dixon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 2000 children die annually in the United States from abuse and neglect, but the interplay of factors such as perpetrator characteristics and family composition which place these children at risk have not been wellestablished. The review of the literature focuses on the correlation between child deaths resulting from abuse and perpetrator characteristics most associated with these deaths. Characteristics such as the perpetrator’s age, race/ethnicity, gender, alcohol and substance use/abuse and/or sale, and prior history of abuse are among those examined. Additionally, these factors are examined within ecological and risk and protective factor theoretical frameworks. It is argued that further …

Making Meaning With "Readers" And "Texts": A Narrative Inquiry Into Two Beginning English Teachers' Meaning Making From Classroom Events, Christi Underwood Edge

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Situated in a transactional paradigm, connections between the constructs of meaning and experience in both teacher education and reading in English education guided my construction of a theoretical framework called Classroom Literacy. This framework extends Rosenblatt's Transactional Theory of Reading (1978, 1994, 2005), broadens the concept of text to include the verbal and non-verbal communicative signs related to the context of the classroom, and positions teachers as "readers" of their classrooms as texts. The Classroom Literacy theoretical framework guided my thinking as I re-conceptualized three persistent problems in learning to teach (Hammerness, Darling-Hammond, Bransford, Berliner, Cochran-Smith, McDonald, & Zeichner, 2005)--an …

Literacy And Hazard Communication Comprehension Of Employees Presenting To An Occupational Health Clinic, Christine Bouchard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

More than 100 million American workers, 7 million workplaces, and 945,000 hazardous chemical products are covered under the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. There were a total of 1,183,500 recordable non-fatal illnesses and injuries in private industry workplaces in 2006 resulting in days away from work. Of these, 19,480 were due to chemicals and chemical products. In addition, there were a total of 5,703 work-related fatalities in 2006. In 191 of these, chemicals and chemical products were listed as the primary source of injury and as the secondary source of injury in 104 …

Atomistic Studies Of Shock-Wave And Detonation Phenomena In Energetic Materials, Mikalai Budzevich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The major goal of this PhD project is to investigate the fundamental properties of energetic materials, including their atomic and electronic structures, as well as mechanical properties, and relate these to the fundamental mechanisms of shock wave and detonation propagation using state-of-the-art simulation methods. The first part of this PhD project was aimed at the investigation of static properties of energetic materials (EMs) with specific focus on 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB). The major goal was to calculate the isotropic and anisotropic equations of state for TATB within a range of compressions not accessible to experiment, and to make predictions of anisotropic sensitivity …

A Framework For Determining The Reliability Of Nanoscale Metallic Oxide Semiconductor (Mos) Devices, Wilkistar Otieno

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An increase in worldwide investments during the past several decades has pro-pelled scienti c breakthroughs in nanoscience and technology research to new and exciting levels. To ensure that these discoveries lead to commercially viable prod-ucts, it is important to address some of the fundamental engineering and scientific challenges related to nanodevices. Due to the centrality of reliability to product integrity, nanoreliability requires critical analysis and understanding to ensure long-term sustainability of nanodevices and systems. In this study, we construct a relia-bility framework for nanoscale dielectric lms used in Metallic Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) devices. The successful fabrication and incorporation of metallic …

Advanced Signal Processing Techniques For Single Trial Electroencephalography Signal Classification For Brain Computer Interface Applications, Kun Li

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Brain Computer Interface (BCI) is a direct communication channel between brain and computer. It allows the users to control the environment without the need to control muscle activity [1-2]. P300-Speller is a well known and widely used BCI system that was developed by Farwell and Donchin in 1988 [3]. The accuracy level of the P300-BCI Speller as measured by the percent of communicated characters correctly identified by the system depends on the ability to detect the P300 event related potential (ERP) component among the ongoing electroencephalography (EEG) signal. Different techniques have been tested to reduce the number of trials needed …

Down, But Not Out: An Ethnographic Study Of Women Who Struggled With And Overcame Methamphetamine Addiction, Jodi Nettleton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Women suffer methamphetamine (meth) addiction at a rate much higher than rates for addiction to other drugs. Female meth users are susceptible and predisposed to gender-related risks: high rates of unprotected vaginal and anal sex, sex-work, and sexual coercion. Precursors for addiction (e.g., abuse, body dysphasia) put females in a difficult position for recovery and highlight the need for gender-specific research and treatment.

Methamphetamine (a synthetically derived stimulant) creates psychological and physical dependency that affects every neuron of the brain and damages the body immediately. Women ingest meth for initial effects that allay social pressures: feeling euphoric, connecting with others …

African American Athletes And The Negotiation Of Public Spaces: An Examination Of Athletic Capital And African American Perceptions Of Success, Keona Lewis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the culture of sport among African American male football players as well as African American perspectives on sport and success. A case study of six African American, Division 1 FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) collegiate student athletes was conducted along with seventeen supplemental interviews with community members, parents, coaches and former athletes and fans. The participants answered questions that explored education, success, identity construction, ethnicity and sport. Archival data was also reviewed framing the discussion on football in Florida, links between education and sport participation and African American male academic achievement. While many perspectives varied, there were collective …

Corrole Synthesis And Catalytic Applications Toward Cobalt(Iii)-Catalyzed Epoxidation, N-H Insertion, And Cyclopropanation, Chung Sik Kim

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A variety of bromocorroles, useful precusors for Pd-based cross coupling, were sucessfully synthesized in moderate to good yields. Chiral corroles were also synthesized through use of chiral amides in the aforementioned cross coupling reactions. Cobalt complexes bearing π-acceptor (CNtBu) and σ-donor (PPh3) ligands were also prepared in excellent yields. In this dissertation, cobalt (III) corrole complexes were applied to three different reaction areas: epoxidation, N-H insertion, and cyclopropanation. Cobalt(III) corroles were found to be efficient catalysts for epoxidation reactions. The epoxidation reactions can be carried out using ethyl phenyldiazoacetate, an acceptor/donor diazo compound, as a carbenoid precusor.The reaction provided highly …

Comparison Of Safety Performance By Design Types At Freeway Diverge Areas And Exit Ramp Sections, Hongyun Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the safety performance of different freeway exit types used in current practical designs. More specific, the research objectives include the following two parts: 1) to compare the safety performance of different design types at freeway diverge areas and exit ramp sections; and 2) to identify the impact factors contributing to the crashes happening at these two specific segments.

The study area includes four subjects, the freeway widely-spaced diverge areas; the freeway closely-spaced diverge areas; the left-side off-ramps and the exit ramp sections. For the freeway diverge areas, design types were defined …

Florida's Adolescent Literacy Policy: An Alternative Reading And Response, Diane Kroeger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this qualitative case study, I constructed interpretations of the meanings conveyed by state-level discourse communities as they were manifested in the primary and secondary speech genres of Florida’s adolescent literacy policy. Meanings (or values, beliefs and feelings) are highly tacit understandings embedded in the language, actions and objects of policy (Yanow, 2000), and are conveyed through informal and formal speech (Bakhtin, 1986). Results revealed (a) state policy meanings convey multiple versions of literacy with a heavy focus on receptive aspects of literate practice; (b) a typology of students and their fit within the institutional system; and (c) an emphasis …