Digital Commons Network^™

Moving Thumos: Emotion, Image, And The Enthymeme, Eric D. Mason

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation connects classical theories regarding the enthymeme and thumos (a Greek word commonly translated as "heart," "mind," or one's "capacity for emotion") to modern theories of images and emotion in order to reconsider the central role of visual discourse in persuasion, ideology, and subject formation. Since "enthymeme" comes from en and thymos, meaning "in heart," etymologically the enthymeme is an argument that is realized in an individual's thumos.

This dissertation thus attempts to establish the notion of thumos in rhetorical studies by developing a theory of visual enthymemes.The understanding of the enthymeme used within this dissertation works less from …

Reclaiming Ecwa Believers' Identity And Sense Of Belonging In Christ: A Problem Of Christian Identity, Emmanuel Datiyong Akanet

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

System Approach To Embedded System Design, Vikram Prabhakar Mehendale

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During this research, the concepts of Systems Engineering were applied to embedded system design. The objective was to apply the Systems Engineering methodology to the design of a particular embedded system. A Video Surveillancesystem was chosen as the particular embedded system. Systems Engineering concepts provide the foundation for an optimized design process and for the coordination between system modules. The functionality of the Video Surveillance system was achieved through the partitioning of the overall system functionality into three separate modules. The three modules were Image Capture, Image Processing and Image Transmission. The methodology employed resulted in a system that was …

Minimally Innate Ideas, Michele Merritt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project provides a detailed examination and critique of current philosophical, linguistic, and cognitive accounts of first language acquisition. In particular, I focus on the concept of "innate" and how it is embraced, marginally utilized, or abandoned altogether in efforts to describe the way that a child comes to be a competent user of a language. A central question that naturally falls out of this general inquiry is therefore what exactly is supposed to be "innate," according to various theories? Philosophically, the theory of innate ideas put forth to explain human learning has existed for centuries and hence, this thesis …

On The Theory Of Records And Applications, Alfred Kubong Mbah

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Technology In Low Socio-Economic K-12 Schools: Examining Student Access And Implementation, Katherine J. Kemker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the past twenty years, there has been an enormous financial investment in technology for K-12 schools to help bridge the digital divide between high and low socioeconomic (SES) students. These investments have included hardware, software, professional development, and research studies on the effectiveness of technology in the classroom. This dissertation explored the essential conditions for the integration of technology, access, student-centered learning environment, and teacher use in the curriculum. Florida's elementary schools were divided into quartiles based on free and reduced lunch to investigate differences between the top quartile of high SES schools (n=400) and the lower quartile of …

Venturesome Women: Nineteenth-Century British Women Travel Writers And Sport, Precious Mckenzie-Stearns

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes the travel writings of Isabella Bird Bishop, Mary Kingsley, Florence Douglas Dixie, and Isabel Savory. While away from England, these women writers participated in cultural exchanges which led to reevaluations of British womanhood. British women travel writers operated not only within the power structures of gender but also within the structures of empire, class, and race. Women travel writers blazed the trail for the New Woman of the end of the century. Before cycling and cigarette smoking were allowed, daring women such as Isabella Bird Bishop and Mary Kingsley crisscrossed the globe in defiance of patriarchal tradition …

The Effect Of Optional Real World Application Projects On Mathematics Achievement Among Undergraduate Students, David Milligan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many undergraduate students enrolled in institutions of higher learning wish to connect their learning to real life experiences. By linking reality to academics, students see first hand the practical value in their studies. The purpose of this study was to critically analyze the practice of application projects in undergraduate mathematics courses to determine if, and if so how, students benefit from optional real world application projects. The study was limited to specific courses within a non-math major's undergraduate mathematics program of study at one large research university. Until the appearance of "The Mathematics Umbrella: Modeling and Education" (Grinshpan, 2005), no …

Getting It Right: A Story Of Truth In Music Performance, Christopher Mcrae

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project looks at the relationship between music performance and truth in narrative. Music performance is a fluid and dynamic process with complex and multiple relationships among musician, audience, text, and production. The five sections of this thesis discuss five different musical performances that address different aspects of this dynamic process. I look at the relationship between music performance and Performance Studies, issues of personae and presence, questions of identity and masculinity, pedagogy and performance, and the intersections of writing and performance. The five musical performances in this project are written to not only discuss important aspects of music and …

Between Knowledge & Practice: Factors That Influence The Operationalization Of Sexual Health Knowledge In African American Female College Students, Jamae F. Morris

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores some of the factors that influence whether African American female college students implement safe sex knowledge. High rates of HIV/AIDS and other sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) in the black community and the overrepresentation of individuals under the age of 25 in sexually-transmitted infection (STI) reports indicate the need for research that investigates the physical, social, and cultural aspects of high-risk sexual behaviors and the factors that influence them for this group. African American female college students present a unique challenge to sexual health educators; a challenge that has been relatively under acknowledged and under addressed in research and …

Perceptions Of Group Exercise Participants Based On Body Type, Appearance, And Attractiveness Of The Instructor, Jennifer Mears

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Physical activity reduces the risk for disease, improves overall health, and quality of life. Group exercise classes are large contributors for meeting physical activity recommendations. Improving long-term adherence to group exercise classes is essential in order to receive health and fitness benefits. Many contributing factors affect adherence rates including the role of the instructor. The instructor has great influence over the decision to return to a group exercise class. It is important to find out what qualities and characteristics are preferred among those who take classes to increase long-term adherence. Another important factor relating to adherence is body type, appearance …

Molecular And Genomic Studies Of Temperate Phages From Halomonas Aquamarina And Bacillus Spp. Isolates From The Gulf Of Mexico, Jennifer M. Mobberley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Viruses are the most abundant biological entities in the ocean and are believed to contribute to nutrient cycling, bacterial diversity, and horizontal gene exchange. However, little is known about the relationship between temperate phages and their hosts in marine environments. In this thesis, phage-host systems from the Gulf of Mexico were used to study the influence of temperate phages in bacteria. PhiHAP-1 is a temperate myovirus induced with mitomycin C from Halomonas aquamarina isolate. The genome of this phage was 39,245 nucleotides long and contained 46 predicted genes. Besides genes involved in lysogeny, PhiHAP-1 contained a protelomerase, which is responsible …

Modulation Of Adult Neural Plasticity By Proteolytic Catabolism Of Lecticans, Joanne Mayer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The extracellular environment of the central nervous system (CNS) through which neuritic processes must traverse during development or after injury is complex, and may vary from stabile conditions to a milieu favorable for neural plasticity and growth. The extracellular space in the CNS accounts for about 20% of brain volume and is composed of aggregating complexes of several different extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules. The ECM supports neural networks and acts as a barrier for neurite extention, depending on the type of molecules involved and the various signals they induce. One mechansim that may produce an environment favoring plasticity is the …

The Influence Of Acculturation And Other Family Characteristics On Asthma Outcomes In Hispanic Children, Rose M. Nieves

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of child and caregiver characteristics on asthma outcomes in Hispanic children. Specific research objectives of the study were to: (1) to asses the relative influence of family characteristics, caregiver level of education, asthma severity, insurance status and acculturation, on asthma outcomes in Hispanic children; (2) to asses the direct and indirect influence of acculturation on asthma outcomes in Hispanic children, while controlling for other variables; (3) to determine the relative influence of familial characteristics, parental level of education, asthma severity, insurance status and acculturation, as they predict utilization of asthma …

Process Optimization And Consumable Development For Chemical Mechanical Planarization (Cmp) Processes, Subrahmanya R. Mudhivarthi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) is one of the most critical processing steps that enables fabrication of multilevel interconnects. The success of CMP process is limited by the implementation of an optimized process and reduction of process generated defects along with post CMP surface characteristics such as dishing and erosion. This thesis investigates to identify various sources of defects and studies the effect of factors that can be used to optimize the process. The major contributions of this work are: Understanding the effect of temperature rise on surface tribology, electrochemistry and post CMP pattern effects during the CMP process; investigating the …

Construction And Application Of Computationally Tractable Theories Of Nonlinear Spectroscopy, Christine L. Neipert

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nonlinear optical processes probe systems in unique manners. The signals obtained from nonlinear spectroscopic experiments are often significantly different than more standard linear techniques, and their intricate nature can make it difficult to interpret the experimental results. Given the complexity of many nonlinear lineshapes, it is to the benefit of both the theoretical and experimental communities to have molecularly detailed computationally amenable theories of nonlinear spectroscopy. Development of such theories, bench marked by careful experimental investigations, have the ability to understand the origins of a given spectroscopic lineshape with atomistic resolution. With this goal in mind, this manuscript details the …

Self Assembly Of Complex Structures, Michael Nellis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The state of the art in artificial micro self assembly concepts are reviewed. The history of assembly is presented with a comparison to macro assembly, which has been widely studied, and micro self assembly. Criteria were developed and tested to show that macro assembly is more complex in ways that micro self assembly is not. Self assembly requirements for successful and complex self assembly, which evolved from the macro and micro comparison, are also established and tested. A method to assemble complex structures in the micro scale is proposed and demonstrated at the meso scale. The basic concepts of self …

Hydrological Connectivity Between Clay Settling Areas And Surrounding Hydrological Landscapes In The Phosphate Mining District, Peninsular Florida, Usa, Kathryn E. Murphy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to use applied and naturally-occurring geochemical tracers to study the hydrology of clay settling areas (CSAs) and the hydrological connectivity between CSAs and surrounding hydrological landscapes. The study site is located on the Fort Meade Mine in Polk County, Florida. The surface of the CSA is covered in desiccation cracks which swell and shrink in response to wetting and drying. Bromide was used as an applied tracer to study hydrological processes in the upper part of the CSA. Bromide infiltrated rapidly and perched on an uncracked massive sublayer. Bromide concentrations attenuated in the upper …

The Role Of Alternative Press In Mobilization For Political Change In Kenya 1982-1992 Society Magazine As A Case Study, Pius M. Nyamora

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of alternative press in mobilizing Kenyans to regain a multi-party political system after 29 years of one-party rule that had turned into authoritarianism. The study focused on Society magazine, and touched on two other magazines, Finance and Nairobi Law Monthly. Unlike Society, these magazines were not intended to cover politics, although they changed their role later. Finance and Nairobi Law Monthly were examined through secondary sources and the author's interactions with the publishers. Whereas Society was a weekly founded and run by journalists, Finance and Nairobi Law Monthly were monthlies …

Positive Protective Factors As Moderators In The Relationship Between Relational Victimization And Depression In Minority Adolescents, Stephanie Tamara Mihalas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between relational victimization and depression among middle school students (n = 153) in an urban school in Florida. The majority of participants were African-American and Hispanic at-risk youth. This study is one of the first to study how positive protective factors (i.e., hope, spirituality, perceived social support) moderate the relationship between victim status and depression. A mixed methods design was used to gain further insight into the survey data collected. Findings from the study indicated that hope and perceived social support were statistically significant moderator variables. Additionally, results from the qualitative interviews suggested that teachers, …

Back Massage: Long Term Effects And Dosage Determination For Persons With Pre-Hypertension And Hypertension, Christine M. Olney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Significance: Complementary and alternative therapies (CAM) are widely used however the efficacy of many CAM therapies for specific diseases has yet to be verified. Massage therapy, specifically back massage, used to assist in the management of elevated blood pressure is one such unverified therapy. A pilot study completed in 2002 resulted in significant changes in blood pressure using a repeated application of the 10 minute back massage. Research Aims: This study, evolving from a psychophysiology framework, aimed to determine the long term efficacy of a back massage treatment and possible dosage needed to effectively assist in the management of elevated …

The Impact Of Fidelity And Innovations On Healthy Families America Programs, Ashley E. Nixon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fidelity to a program model and innovations added to the program model have been found to positively impact large scale program expansion and implementation (Blakely et al., 1987). Research examining the effectiveness of Healthy Families America (HFA) programs has been hindered by the differences that exist among HFA programs. This study examines the impact program fidelity and innovations have on outcome measures of updated immunizations, primary medical care providers, and participant retention for 102 HFA sites. Factor analysis and regression were used to analyze archival data. Results indicate that fidelity was positively related to percentage of participants with updated immunizations …

A Three-Dimensional Biophysical Model Of Light, Nutrient, And Grazing Controls On Phytoplankton Competition Affecting Red Tide Maintenance On The West Florida Shel, Scott P. Milroy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A coupled, three-dimensional, time-dependent numerical model of water circulation, spectral light, plankton dynamics, nutrient/CDOM loadings, and zooplankton grazing provided an assessment of the factors affecting the growth and maintenance of red tides on the west Florida shelf (WFS). The coupled biophysical model consisted of state variable quantities for temperature, salinity, horizontal/vertical velocity components, turbulent diffusion, spectral light, colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), dissolved organic and inorganic carbon, particulate silica, four dissolved inorganic nutrient pools (nitrate, ammonium, phosphate, and silicate), and four phytoplankton groups (diatoms, microflagellates, non-toxic dinoflagellates, and the red tide organism Karenia brevis).

The model also included a complex …

Key Stakeholder Perceptions Of The Expulsion Process For High School Students Identified As Emotionally Disturbed, Suzanne R. O'Neill

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how the expulsion process works for seven male ninth grade students identified as emotionally disturbed and in particular, the perceptions students, their parents, five district representatives, and five high school administrators involved in an expulsion have of the process. Furthermore, the study investigated through in-depth interviews possible differences in perceptions between those students who are expelled, parents, and key education personnel involved in expulsion decisions. Computer-based qualitative data analysis software was used to organize and analyze the collected data. Results of the study indicate that the two primary key stakeholder participants; students and their parents, shared predominately …

Depressive Symptomatology, Patient-Provider Communication, And Patient Satisfaction: A Multilevel Analysis, Lorraine Marie Novosel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Depression can be a profoundly disabling and costly disorder and is a major public health concern. Despite the efficacy of treatment options, it is often unrecognized, under-diagnosed, and inadequately treated in primary care settings. Research on patient-provider communication supports the connection among the quality of the patient-provider interaction, patient behavior, and health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to systematically examine the impact of patients' depressive symptoms on the patient-provider relationship, patient-provider communication, and patient satisfaction with the primary care office visit. One hundred twenty three patient-provider encounters were audiotaped and coded using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS). …

High School Social Studies Teachers' Attitudes Towards The Inclusion Of Ell Students In Mainstream Classes, Jason L. O'Brien

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of high school social studies teachers who had English Language Learners (ELL) mainstreamed in their social studies classes. In the school district in which the study took place, approximately 70% (n=240) of the high school social studies teachers had ELL students in their classrooms. For the quantitative portion of the survey, 344 surveys were given to each social studies department chairperson in the county to be completed by all the teachers who currently had ELL students in their social studies classroom. For the qualitative portion of the study, eight high …

Elisa Brune’S Le Goût Piquant De L’Univers: A Translation And Introduction, Ryan Orgera

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Le Goût piquant de l'Univers is written by the Francophone Belgian writer Elisa Brune. Brune holds a Ph.D. in environmental sciences, and this novel does not stray far from her training in science. The setting of this oeuvre is that of a Provençal village of Peyresq, the premiere annual rendezvous for the world's foremost cosmologists. The vocabulary employed in this book is that of highly scientific coteries. The work's sentence structure is a mix of dialogue, and unruly compound phrases. These two aforementioned stylistic choices made the translation of this work especially difficult. In translating, I worked with Dr. Gaëtan …

Two Essays On Market Efficiency ⎯ Tests Of Idiosyncratic Risk: Informed Trading Versus Noise And Arbitrage Risk, And Agency Costs And The Underlying Causes Of Mispricing: Information Asymmetry Versus Conflict Of Interests, Jung Chul Park

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I examine the informational efficiency of stock markets by testing the relation between idiosyncratic volatility and equity mispricing. I find that the level of mispricing declines with idiosyncratic volatility consistent with the notion that greater levels of firm-specific risk reflect greater participation of informed traders in the market for the stock. However, I also find that mispricing increases with idiosyncratic volatility for highly volatile stocks, and this is attributed to both noise trading and arbitrage risk. In addition, I investigate the link between agency costs and equity mispricing, and whether it exists due to information asymmetry or the degree of …

Community College Transfer Students’ Experiences Of The Adjustment Process To A Four Year Institution: A Qualitative Analysis, Karen R. Owens

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Today's mobile student population follows diverse paths. This research presents findings from a qualitative study investigating the perceptions of transfer students while they were actively engaged in the transfer process. Fifty-seven incoming community college transfer students (n=57) were interviewed, in a large metropolitan area, through e-journaling during fall 2006 (while students were still attending community colleges) and during spring 2007 (students' first semester of admission to the university).

The following research questions guided the study: What do transfer students perceive as a successful transfer process? From the transfer student's perspective, what supports are needed to accommodate a successful transfer process? …

Comparison Of Two Treatments For Finger Tip Amputation: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Karen Olson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To compare the costs and length of disability for conservative treatment versus skin grafting of distal finger and thumb tip amputations. Methods: Thirty-five zone I finger or thumb tip amputations in thirty-five workers in the Southeastern United States were included in this study. Twenty-four were treated with conservative treatment (bandaging to protect the wound). Eleven were treated with skin grafting. The total cost of medical care, total cost including wage replacement, and the length of disability were compared between the two groups. Impairment at the end of treatment was considered. Results: Even when the cost of wage replacement was …