Digital Commons Network^™

Queer Identity? Discussing Identity And Appearance In An On-Line “Genderqueer” Community, Sharla N. Alegria

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The relatively new field of Queer Theory creates ways of thinking about people living without binary gender, but does not provide for a research model with which to give context to the material struggles of such people. Through the use of Internet discussion groups, the current research project attempts to examine the challenges that people who identify with the concept "genderqueer" describe facing as they fashion selves in social interactions; a process which inevitably requires consumer goods that typically only allow for heteronormative binary gender. Findings suggest that there are similarities in how respondents came to identify with "genderqueer," but …

Using Frequency Analysis To Determine Wetland Hydroperiod, Lisa D. Foster

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Wetlands are nominally characterized by, vegetation, presence of saturated soils and/or period and depth of standing water (inundation). Wetland hydroperiod, traditionally defined by the period or duration of inundation, is considered to control the ecological function and resultant plant community. This study seeks to redefine "hydroperiod" to incorporate both surface and subsurface water-level fluctuations, to identify predominant hydroperiod of different wetland types, and to find the range of the water-level fluctuations during the predominant hydroperiod durations. The motivation being that wetland ecological condition is controlled not just by the period of inundation but also by the proximity and depth to …

Design Of A Rear-Wheel After-Market Suspension System For Manual Wheelchairs, Rick Daniel Bierworth

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to design and build an after-market suspension for the rear wheels of a manual wheelchair. Suspension for wheelchairs is important because it has been reported that the International Organization for Standards' requirements for vibration loads on wheelchair users (ISO 2631-1), are not meet by today's standard wheelchairs. Today's wheelchairs need to be able to absorb everyday shock loads, thereby minimizing the energy transmitted to the user.

The chosen design is based around the concept of adding shock reduction material between the hub of the wheel, and the axel bolt that connects the wheel to …

Falling In Love As A Heuristic For Mate Choice Decisions, Monica D. Burke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Selecting a mate is one of the most important and complex decisions that we make in our lives. Research on human decision making has found that we often use simple rules of thumb or heuristics to facilitate complex decision-making tasks (e.g., Gigerenzer & Todd, 1999; Kahneman & Tversky, 1972, 1973; Tversky & Kahneman, 1974, 1983). Recent research has focused on the use of affect or emotion as heuristics that have a strong influence on a variety of decision making contexts (Damasio, 1994; Finucane, Peters, & Slovic, 2003; Loewenstein, Weber, Hsee, & Welch, 2001; Mellers, 2000). The emotion we most closely …

Community Composition Of Crustaceans And Gastropods On Caulerpa Prolifera, Halodule Wrightii And Thalassia Testudinum, Jennifer A. Gibson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Prescribed Fire On The Diversity Of Soil-Dwelling Arthropods In The University Of South Florida Ecological Research Area, Tampa, Florida, Celina Bellanceau

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Leaf litter samples were used to study arthropod diversity in the University of South Florida Ecological Research Area. Arthropods were collected from different plots of different prescribed burn frequencies (1year, 2 year, 5 year, 7 year and no burn frequencies). Differential responses of arthropods to burn frequency were studied. It was expected that burn frequency would affect arthropod richness and diversity and that the pattern of diversity and richness would follow the Intermediated Disturbance Hypothesis. It was also expected that richness and diversity would be correlated with the amount of leaf litter present. Preliminary results suggest that there are short-term …

Evaluation Of Taqman Real-Time Pcr For The Detection Of Viable Cryptosporidium Parvum Oocysts In Environmental Water Samples, Melissa A. Cameron

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cryptosporidium parvum is of growing public health concern due to its ability to survive typical water treatment processes. In order to protect the public from infection, the Environmental Protection Agency developed Method 1623 for the detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in environmental water samples. Execution of this method is time consuming, and the results do not provide an accurate estimation of viability. Therefore, current research is focused on creating a real-time PCR method for the accurate detection of viable Cryptosporidium parvum in environmental water samples.

This thesis presents the development of a real-time PCR method, and the results obtained in its …

The Art Of Existentialism: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Norman Mailer And The American Existential Tradition, J'Aimã© L. Sanders

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of my research is to examine the philosophic influences on three literary works: F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Ernest Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon, and Norman Mailer's An American Dream. Through an investigation of biographical, historical, cultural, and textual evidence, I will argue for the influence of several European philosophers---Friedrich Nietzsche, Søren Kierkegaard, and Martin Heidegger---on these authors and on the structures and messages of their works. I will discuss how the specific works I have selected not only reveal each author's apt understanding of the existential-philosophical crises facing the individual in the twentieth century, but also …

Enduring Changes In Reward Mechanisms After Developmental Exposure To Cocaine: The Role Of The D2 Receptor, Kirstie H. Stansfield

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During adolescent brain maturation, there are likely sensitive periods where environmental conditions, including drug exposure, may influence development by modifying neuronal connections. Altering neuronal function may produce different phenotypes than expected under normal conditions that may influence subsequent responding to drugs of abuse after the brain is fully mature. Experiment one investigated the relationship between novelty preference and cocaine place preference in adolescent and adult rats. High responding adolescent rats displaying greater free choice novelty exploration (but not forced novelty locomotion) expressed decreased cocaine place conditioning compared to low responding rats. No relationship was found in adult rats. Experiment two …

Changes In Abundance And Distribution Of Humpback Whales, Megaptera Novaeangliae, In Hervey Bay Marine Park, Australia, Based On Aerial Surveys Conducted In 1992 And 2004, Lucã­A De La Paz Suzacq

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Aerial surveys were conducted throughout Hervey Bay Marine Park between August and October 1992 and 2004 to determine changes in abundance and distribution of the Eastern Australia humpback whale population in this area. Due to concerns about possible effects of boat traffic on whale distributions associated with a growing whale watching industry, the number and location of vessels were also recorded during these surveys. Throughout the 1992 season, 17 flights were conducted and a total of 41.93 surveys hours were completed, recording 186 pods, and a total of 320 animals. In addition, 392 boats were spotted in the area. During …

Androgen Receptors In The Bonnethead Shark, Sphyrna Tiburo: Cdna Cloning And Tissue-Specific Expression In The Male Reproductive Tract, John P. Tyminski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Androgens and the androgen receptor (AR) play important roles in virilization, spermatogenesis, and sexual behavior in vertebrates. An understanding of the distribution and levels of expression of the ARs on the cellular and tissue level demonstrates the pattern of responsiveness to the androgenic hormones in a given organism. In this study, a fragment of the AR gene was cloned and sequenced from the bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo, an elasmobranch species with a well-defined annual reproductive cycle. Acquiring this gene sequence facilitated the construction of species-specific AR polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers and species-specific AR mRNA probes that were used to …

Brevetoxins In Marine Birds: Evidence Of Trophic Transfer And The Role Of Prey Fish As Toxin Vector, Michelle Van Deventer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) of the brevetoxin-producing dinoflagellate Karenia brevis occur periodically along the central west coast of Florida. Mass mortalities of marine birds have long been associated with these blooms, yet there is little data documenting the accumulation of brevetoxins in the tissues of birds and their prey items. An intense HAB event impacted the region from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor during most of 2005. More than one hundred marine birds, representing twenty three species, were collected during this bloom. All birds sampled were found dead or had died within 24 hours of admittance to local wildlife rehabilitation …

Immunomodulatory Role Of Flagellin In Antigen-Presenting Cells, Ildefonso Vicente-Suarez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) expressed by cells of the immune system play a central role in the generation of immune responses against pathogens. Following TLR ligation, both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators are produced in order to elicit an immune response that controls the microbial infection while limiting tissue damage. Among these mediators, the proinflammatory cytokine IL-12 and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 are known to play major roles. Here, we show that in vitro or in vivo stimulation with flagellin, the TLR5 ligand, does not result in IL-10 production. Furthermore flagellin inhibits IL-10 production by other specific TLR ligands at the protein …

Effect Of A Preoperative Warming Intervention On The Acute Phase Response Of Surgical Stress, Vanda Doreen Wagner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When a patient is exposed surgical stress, the endocrine system secretes hormones in response to that stress. These hormones further activate the immune system to release cytokines and other acute phase reactions. These processes are supposed to protect the body by upregulating the innate immune system and producing an inflammatory response that acts to protect and heal. However, uncontrolled surgical stress may cause a weaker immune response that may lead to delayed wound healing. The phenomenon of unplanned perioperative hypothermia is known to expose patients to additional surgical stress. The purpose of this preliminary experimental study was to determine the …

Experimental And Analytical Modeling Of The In Vivo And In Vitro Biomechanical Behavior Of The Human Lumbar Spine, Tov I. Vestgaarden

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation has two major parts; Analytical and Experimental. The analytical section contains a study using Finite Element Analysis of dynamic instrumentation to demonstrate stress reduction in adjacent level discs. The experimental section contains biomechanical testing of facet fusion allograft technique and finally a comparison between In Vivo and In Vitro intradiscal pressures to determine forces acting on Lumbar spine segment L4-L5. A comprehensive study of available data, technology and literature was done. Conventional fusion instrumentation is believed to accelerate the degeneration of adjacent discs due to the increased stresses caused by motion discontinuity. A three dimensional finite element model …

Narratives Of Lesbian Transformation: Coming-Out Stories Of Women Who Transition From Heterosexual Marriage To Lesbian Identity, Clare F. Walsh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Women who have transitioned to a lesbian identity from a previously heterosexual one lack a voice in the academic literature. Identity formation in this subset of women, those who chose a heterosexual marriage, had children, and later in life self identify as lesbian, has not been fully investigated. For this project, eight women were asked to answer this question: How have you negotiated the path from heterosexuality to lesbianism? Four main themes were found dealing with heteronormativity and accountability, relationship with children, transition, and acceptance by the lesbian community. Additionally, I introduce a new term---gender-normativity---to describe these women who only …

Subtyping Psychopathy: Exploring The Roles Of Degree Of Punishment, Cognitive Dissonance And Optimism, John M. Weir

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For over half of a century, social and behavioral scientists have been investigating the construct of psychopathy. Even so, psychopathy is still a highly misunderstood personality construct. Even though it has been estimated that psychopaths make up only about 1% of the general population, they are believed to consist of 15-25% of the prison population (Hare, 1996). However, not all psychopaths are in prison. Psychopaths can also be found in such fields as the legal profession, the business world and in politics (Babiak, 1995). In terms of criminal behaviors, psychopaths are arrested at earlier ages, have a higher rate of …

Evaluating The Effects Of A Reinforcement System For Students Participating In The Fast Forword Language Program, Catherine C. Wilcox

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A computer-assisted language intervention program called Fast ForWord(R) (Scientific Learning Corporation, 1998) has received a great deal of attention over the past few years. The Scientific Learning Corporation claims that the use of Fast ForWord will improve students' language, reading and learning skills, leading to improved communication skills and increased self-esteem in and out of the classroom. Researchers have explored the effects of Fast ForWord training on reading and spoken language. However, little research has examined the effects on student's reading level and FFW scores when a reinforcement system is used in conjunction with FFW. This study was conducted in …

Honor – A Double Edged Sword: An Examination Of The South’S “Culture Of Honor” Wounding Of Two Races, Vernetta K. Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work expands the understanding of the "culture of honor" that social psychologists maintain exists in the American South. Social psychologists attribute the higher incidence of violent crimes, especially murder committed by white men in the South as compared to Northern white men, to this "culture of honor." While social psychologists have restricted their work to white men, this work explores how this distinct culture has impacted the Southern black community while uncovering deeper ways in which the culture has affected the Southern white community. Using historically-based literature and film by African Americans, the work provides a more comprehensive look …

Signaling In Natural Killer Cells: Ship, 2b4 And The Kinome, Joseph A. Wahle

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The NK cell is a large granular lymphocyte that plays a key role in protecting the body against numerous pathogens including parasites, intracellular bacteria, viral infections, as well as showing anti-tumor activity and playing a role in the rejection of allogeneic BM. Unlike other lymphocytic cell types, that utilize rearranging receptors, NK cells are regulated by a complex array of germ line encoded activating and inhibitory receptors. NK cells are often described as a front line or rapid defense given their response to stimuli can be immediate, although they also maintain functions that extend their role well into the adaptive …

Thomas Hardy's Siren, Sarah A. Wray

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Sirens episode in The Odyssey is comparably short, but it is one of the most memorable scenes in the epic. Sirens are trying to stop the male narrative, the male quest of Odysseus with their own female "narrative power" (Doherty 82). They are the quintessential marginalized, calling for a voice, a presence, an audience in the text of patriarchy. The knowledge they promise, though, comes with the price of death. They are covertly sexual in Classical antiquity, but since the rise of Christianity, a new Siren emerged from the depths of the sea; instead of the sexually ambiguous embodiment …

Tourist, Shopertainment, Eatertainment, Edutainment, Nature Tourism, Mass Tourism, Stephanie Tomita Wong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Predictive models for diffusion-controlled particle dissolution are important for designing advanced and efficient solid products for controlled release applications. A computer-aided modeling framework was developed to derive the effective dissolution rates of multiple particles as the solid surface material eroded gradually into the surrounding liquid phase. The mathematical models were solved with numerical methods using the computational software MATLAB. Results from the models were imported into COMSOL Script to create three-dimensional plots of the particle size data as a function of time. The release model found for the monodispersed particles was manipulated to incorporate polydisperse solids, as these are found …

Fort Walton Ceramics In The Perry Collection, Apalachicola Valley, Northwest Florida, Amber J. Yuellig

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fort Walton, the local variant of Mississippian culture in northwest Florida, has long been studied in the Apalachicola River Valley beginning in the early 1900s, most notably by Clarence B. Moore (though he did not call it Fort Walton), and has continued to intrigue archaeologists and collectors alike. Gordon Willey and Richard Woodbury were the first to create a ceramic chronology for the Florida Gulf Coast. Willey continued this work, resulting in the publication of Archeology of the Florida Gulf Coast, an impressive compilation of information on prehistoric cultures, sites, and their ceramic technologies and typologies. This book has continued …

Major Tea Catechin Inhibits Dendritic Cell Maturation In Response To Microbial Stimulation, James L. Rogers

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dendritic cells (DCs) are a migratory group of bone-marrow-derived leukocytes specialized for uptake, transport, processing and presentation of antigens to T cells. Exposure of DCs to bacterial pathogens can induce DC maturation characterized by cytokine production, up-regulation of co-stimulatory molecules and an increased ability to activate T cells. DCs have the ability to restrict growth of L. pneumophila (Lp), an intracellular Gram-negative bacillus that causes a severe form of pneumonia known as Legionnaires' disease, in murine ER-derived organelles (121) but replicate in human DCs (145). Even in human cells, however, lysis of the DCs does not occur for at least …

Manifestations Of Ebenezer Howard On Disneyland, Michelle M. Rowland

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While political praise and condemnation of Disney is commonplace in the literature, my research will focus instead on the origination of Disney's design plan for Disneyland and the theoretical and physical connections between key historical figures and the finished product. I will not consider what Disneyland means to the world today---that is a subject many others have covered, some even brilliantly; instead, I will consider what social concepts contributed to the initial design in an attempt to see the underlying values at work in this post-modern utopia. In this thesis, I intend to show that Walt Disney's initial design for …

The Assimilation Of The Marvelous Other: Reading Christoph Weiditz’S Trachtenbuch (1529) As An Ethnographic Document, Andrea Mckenzie Satterfield

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the watercolor drawings of indigenous Americans in the Trachtenbuch, a small sixteenth-century manuscript by Christoph Weiditz. The manuscript was titled as a trachtenbuch by the Germanisches National Museum Library when cataloged in 1868, and Theodor Hampe published the first facsimile under this title in 1927. As this title suggests, the manuscript has long been narrowly defined and examined by scholars as a costume book. I argue instead for broadening the reading of the Trachtenbuch from a costume book, a subset of ethnographic documents that identify individuals based solely on systems of dress, to a visual ethnographic collection, …

Generation And Characterization Of An Attenuated Mutant In A Response-Regulator Gene Of Francisella Tularensis Live Vaccine Strain (Lvs), Wendy L. Sammons

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Francisella tularensis is a zoonotic bacterium that must exist in diverse environments ranging from arthropod vectors to mammalian hosts. To better understand how genes are regulated in these different environments, a transcriptional response- regulator gene (genome locus FTL0552) was deleted in F. tularensis live vaccine strain (LVS). The FTL0552 deletion mutant exhibited slightly reduced rates of extracellular growth but was unable to replicate or survive in mouse macrophages and was avirulent in the mouse model using either BALB/c or C57BL/6 mice. Mice infected with the FTL0552 mutant produced reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines, exhibited reduced histopathology and cleared the bacteria …

Testing Impulsivity As A Moderator Of Smoking Motivation Following Exposure To Negative Affect And Smoking Cues, Erika B. Litvin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Consistent with classical conditioning theories of drug use, previous research has demonstrated that presenting smokers with either exteroceptive (e.g., pictures of cigarettes) or interoceptive (e.g., negative affect) cues results in increased motivation to smoke, as measured by urge and smoking topography (e.g., shorter latency to begin smoking). However, few studies have presented both types of cues to determine whether and how they might interact in the production of smoking motivation, and little research has focused on identifying potential moderators of cue reactivity. In a randomized 2 x 2 crossed factorial between-subjects design, the current study tested whether an interoceptive cue …

Forging Identities Through Style: Elite Interaction And Identity Formation At Late Classic (Ad 650-900) Palmarejo, Northwest Honduras, Claire Novotny

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The representation of social affiliation is dependent upon material signifiers that can serve as communicative links between individuals or communities. This study evaluates the material manifestation of an elite social identity during the Late Classic (AD 650-900) period at the site of Palmarejo, northwest Honduras. Previous studies on social identity in prehistory point to the importance of site plans, monumental architecture, ceramics, and human burials in conveying sociocultural messages. A regional comparison of these types of data is made between Palmarejo and three coeval sites in northwest Honduras, La Sierra, El Coyote, and Las Canoas. I argue that the chosen …

Regulation Of Foxo Stability And Activity By Mdm2 E3 Ligase, Wei Fu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Members of the forkhead class O (FOXO) transcription factors are tumor suppressors and key molecules that control aging and lifespan. The stability of mammalian FOXO proteins is controlled by proteasome-mediated degradation but general ubiquitin E3 ligases for FOXO factors remain to be defined. The current studies demonstrate that MDM2 bound to FOXO1 and FOXO3A and promoted their ubiquitination and subsequent degradation, a process apparently dependent on FOXO phopshorylation at PKB sites and on the E3 ligase activity of MDM2. The binding occurred between endogenous proteins and was involved the forkhead box of FOXO1 and the region of MDM2 that controls …