American Studies Commons^™

Is “Fake News” The New News? The Effect Of “The Daily Show” On Media And Political Knowledge, Heather Avenson

Political Science Theses and Capstones

One can hardly argue the impact that “The Daily Show” and “Colbert Report” have had on popular culture. But do these shows also hold an impact on journalism and political knowledge? In other words, are “The Daily Show” and “Colbert Report” reasonable sources of news? Using data gathered by the Pew Research Center in April of 2008, and by myself through a survey of Bemidji State University students enrolled in political science courses, I attempt to answer the following questions: Are people who watch either “The Daily Show” or “Colbert Report” more informed than their counterparts? Do people who watch …

An Investigation On Radiometric Measurements Of Subterranean Heat Sources, Rakesh Shirodkar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With global warming on the rise and the urge for conserving our natural resources, it becomes very important that proper steps are taken to protect our natural resources and utilize them efficiently. Forest fires are one of the many issues on the charts towards protection of natural resources. The catastrophic aftermaths caused by forest fires are known to all. The causes for these fires could be known/unknown natural causes or human intervention. Remote sensing techniques use the electromagnetic radiation in the RF/Microwave region, emitted from an object. The amount of energy emitted from an object depends on its present conditions, …

Review: Also Known As Harper, Jennifer Green

Georgia Library Quarterly

Review of the middle grade novel "Also Known as Harper," by Ann Haywood Leal.

The Variation In Third Party Politics Across The American States, Trevor Grunwald

Political Science Theses and Capstones

It seems that third party candidates and third parties themselves are usually just a flash in the pan, who once in a while seem to get their fifteen minutes of fame. Ross Perot a native Texan created lots of havoc on the 92 and 96 presidential elections. Also in the great state of Minnesota in 1998 Jesse Ventura became Governor while being a third party candidate. One can’t help but wonder who the next big third party candidate will be, and from which state they will come. Will this person come from a conservative state a liberal state, or will …

Review: 'Storied Independent Automakers: Nash, Hudson, And American Motors', John Alfred Heitmann

History Faculty Publications

Nash, Hudson, and now even American Motors are automobile brands that have largely disappeared from the American memory. Yet, despite riding the twentieth-century economic roller coaster and operating in the shadow of the Big Three, these firms made sustained, significant technological and economic contributions. Charles K. Hyde’s Storied Independent Automakers is the author’s latest foray into the area of automotive business history, following work on the Chrysler Corporation and the Dodge brothers. A professor of History at Wayne State University, Hyde has written a needed critical business history on an important topic that complements the vast amount of “buff” and …

A Flag Is Flipped And A Nation Flaps: The Politics And Patriotism Of The First International World Series, Todd J. Wiebe

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Write Poetry: A Biography Of American Poet Walter Griffin, Lawrence Sterne Stevens

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects

The first four chapters of a biography of the poet Jasper Walter Griffin. They cover the first thirty years of his life, including Griffin's fatherless childhood in rural South Carolina, his imperious grandmother, his time at Gordon Military School (now Gordon College) in Barnesville, Ga., his tumultuous time in the Army in the U.S. and France, his brushes with the law, and a decade of defiance and anger, of various jobs from bellhop on Nantucket Island to carnival barker in Florida to shady home-improvement contract salesman, and of vagabonding around the U.S. as he searched for what he calls 'the …

The Library, Terra Elan Mcvoy

Georgia Library Quarterly

The article presents the poem "The Library," by Terra Elan McVoy. First Line: New York loneliness in my mouth; Last Line: and disappear.

Lithic Technology And Obsidian Exchange Networks In Bronze Age Sardinia, Italy (Ca. 1600-850 B.C.), Kyle P. Freund

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Sardinian Bronze Age (Nuragic period) and the factors which created and maintained an island-wide identity as seen through the presence of its distinctive nuraghi have received considerable attention; however the amount of research directly related to the stone tools of the era has been relatively limited despite the wealth of knowledge it is capable of yielding. This thesis hopes to contribute to Sardinian archaeology through the study of ancient technology, specifically obsidian lithic technology, by combining typological information with source data gleaned from the use of X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). These data are integrated with statistical analyses breaking down …

Development And Testing Of A New C-Based Algorithm To Control A 9-Degree-Offreedom Wheelchair-Mounted-Robotic-Arm System, Ana Catalina Torres Rocco

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A Wheelchair-Mounted Robotic Arm (WMRA) was designed to aid people with limited or no upper-limb usage to accomplish activities of daily living (ADLs). The primary objective of this research was to enhance the performance of the WMRA by improving the communication protocols and functions between the hardware and software used for its control.

Previously, the control algorithm of the robotic arm was tested in simulation and in the physical arm. These implementations required a combination of Matlab and C++ language and introduced some software instability under Windows operating system. To improve the performance of the WMRA, the programs for hardware …

Stochastic Modeling And Statistical Analysis, Ling Wu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the present study is to investigate option pricing and forecasting problems in finance. This is achieved by developing stochastic models in the framework of classical modeling approach.

In this study, by utilizing the stock price data, we examine the correctness of the existing Geometric Brownian Motion (GBM) model under standard statistical tests. By recognizing the problems, we attempted to demonstrate the development of modified linear models under different data partitioning processes with or without jumps. Empirical comparisons between the constructed and GBM models are outlined.

By analyzing the residual errors, we observed the nonlinearity in the data …

Toward An Applied Anthropology Of Gis: Spatial Analysis Of Adolescent Childbearing In Hillsborough And Pinellas Counties, Florida, Kathleen I. Maes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work investigates births to white, African American and Hispanic adolescents in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, Florida, from 1992 to 1997 in two age groups - 13 to 17 year-olds and 18 to 19 year-olds - using spatial statistical techniques along with key informant interviews to provide insights into the utility of the research findings. The research developed a method for estimating the adolescent population in inter-census years, which was used to determine denominators for calculating teen birth rates. It also developed a composite deprivation index using socioeconomic indicators at the census block group level. The index provided context for …

Alien Encounters And The Alien/Human Dichotomy In Stanley Kubrick‘S 2001: A Space Odyssey And Andrei Tarkovsky‘S Solaris, Keith Cavedo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The alien encounter has long been a defining and popular subject of science fiction cinema. However, Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris (1972) are interrogative, complex, and distinct artistic accomplishments that stand apart from and above the conventional science fiction film. 2001 and Solaris not only represent but complicate the alien/human dichotomy; in the end, they destabilize the dichotomy and even suggest a radical synthesis of the dichotomous elements. 2001 and Solaris further emphasize epistemological and specifically anthropocentric limitations when it comes to understanding the alien or attempting to make sense of the alien encounter. …

The Effects Of Learning-Styles Information On The Achievement Of Community College Developmental Math Students, Kevin A. Hoeffner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Four out of five Americans will require some postsecondary education. Therefore, a majority of population will return to a community college for retraining and personal growth (McCabe, 2003). Since the turn of this century, many studies have been conducted to examine the success and challenges of the relatively new community college system. One of the most significant challenges is the large percentage of the U.S. population requiring remedial coursework. Fifty-five percent of students entering Florida's postsecondary system require remediation. Of this large remedial population, only 51% will complete their preparatory classes. Students who do complete classes take an average of …

Impact Of Globalization On Socio-Economic And Political Development Of The Central Asian Countries, Karina Orozalieva

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

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 …

Spring Design Optimization With Fatigue, John L. Porteiro

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this work is to look into the fundamental issues regarding spring design and develop a new, easy to use software program that would allow for optimal, flexible spring designs. Most commercial programs that address this function are basic and do not allow the designer much control over the variables hindering design. This is so because most programs start from the premise that the spring is a general purpose part of the system or that other design parameters can be altered to accommodate the chosen spring. In cases where this is not so, such as in hydraulic cartridge …

Answer Distortion On The Epworth Sleepiness Scale During The Commercial Driver Medical Examination, Keith E. Proctor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Commercial vehicle drivers are required to maintain Department Of Transportation medical certification which entails a Commercial Driver Medical Examination (CDME) and optimally leads to a two-year certification. The examination must be performed by a licensed "medical examiner" administered by a variety of health care providers including physicians, advanced registered nurse practitioners, physician assistants and doctors of chiropractic. Unfavorable findings in the examination can yield either a shortened medical certification period or denial of certification. Sleep disorders including sleep apnea are assessed by a single question located in the health history portion of the CDME form which is filled-out by the …

Genre, Database, And The Anatomy Of The Digital Archive, Elizabeth J. Vincelette

English Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to define shared characteristics of literary digital archives, specifically to explore how conceptual and structural qualities of such archives express generic qualities. In order to describe digital media such as database or digital archives, scholars resort to metaphors, and this study offers the metaphor of anatomy as a generic inscription with historical and methodological implications. The definition of the anatomy genre draws from Northrop Frye's in Anatomy of Criticism, in which Frye describes how anatomies are characterized by proliferating lists, the mixing of prose and non-prose forms, and self-reflexivity--under the guise of knowledge …

Faculty Perspectives On Doctoral Student Mentoring: The Mentor‘S Odyssey, Carol A. Burg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, mentoring has emerged as a research domain, however, the preponderance of mentoring research has been situated first, in the business or organizational settings and second, in the K-12 educational setting, focusing on protégé experiences, using quantitative survey instruments to collect data. Thus, mentoring research literature includes a paucity of formal studies in the arena of graduate education.

Situated in the higher education setting, this study investigated the perspectives of faculty-mentors who provided mentoring to doctoral students who completed the doctoral degree, employing the qualitative research methodology known as phenomenology, as an orthogonal but complimentary epistemology to previous …

Influence Of Crosslink Density On Swelling And Conformation Of Surface-Constrained Poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide) Hydrogels, Ryan S. Cates

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A stimuli-responsive microgel is a three-dimensional polymer network that is able to absorb and expel a solvent (commonly water). These materials are unique in the fact that their sponge-like behavior can be actuated by environmental cues, like temperature, ion concentration, pH, and light. Because of the dynamic properties of these materials they have found applications in drug-delivery systems, micro-assays, selective filtration, artificial muscle, and non-fouling surfaces. The most well-known stimuli-responsive polymer is Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) or PNIPAAm and it experiences a switchable swelling or deswelling over a critical temperature ( T_c=~32°C). Below the critical temperature, the gel begins mixing with …