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A Cortical Model Of Object Perception Based On Bayesian Networks And Belief Propagation., Salvador Durá-Bernal

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Evidence suggests that high-level feedback plays an important role in visual perception by shaping the response in lower cortical levels (Sillito et al. 2006, Angelucci and Bullier 2003, Bullier 2001, Harrison et al. 2007). A notable example of this is reflected by the retinotopic activation of V1 and V2 neurons in response to illusory contours, such as Kanizsa figures, which has been reported in numerous studies (Maertens et al. 2008, Seghier and Vuilleumier 2006, Halgren et al. 2003, Lee 2003, Lee and Nguyen 2001). The illusory contour activity emerges first in lateral occipital cortex (LOC), then in V2 and finally …

The Molecular And Behavioural Ecology Of Click Beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae) In Agricultural Land, Carly Marie Benefer

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The larvae (wireworms) of some click beetle genera inhabit the soil in agricultural land and are crop pests. In the UK, a pest complex of Agriotes species, A. obscurus, A. sputator and A. lineatus, has been identified as the cause of the majority of damage. However, studies on their ecology are lacking, despite knowledge of this being important for the development of sustainable risk assessment and pest management strategies, in part due to the morphologically cryptic nature of wireworms. The ecology of economically important click beetle species was investigated, focusing on UK Agriotes species. The relationship between sex pheromone trapped …

Necessity, Possibility And The Search For Counterexamples In Human Reasoning, Sylvia Mary Parnell Serpell

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Abstract Necessity, Possibility and the Search for Counterexamples in Human Reasoning Sylvia Mary Parnell Serpell This thesis presents a series of experiments where endorsement rates, latencies and measures of cognitive ability were collected, to investigate the extent to which people search for counterexamples under necessity instructions, and alternative models under possibility instructions. The research was motivated by a syllogistic reasoning study carried out by Evans, Handley, Harper, and Johnson-Laird (1999), and predictions were derived from mental model theory (Johnson-Laird, 1983; Johnson-Laird & Byrne, 1991). With regard to the endorsement rate data: Experiment 1 failed to find evidence that a search …

Population Structuring And Dispersal In The Highly Pelagic Leach's Storm-Petrel: Implications For The Eu Population, Anthony William James Bicknell

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Dispersal is a fundamental process that shapes many aspects of population ecology and evolution. Dramatic local population declines brought about by anthropogenic-driven changes to ecological processes are unfortunately becoming ubiquitous and increasing the urgency to understand dispersal behaviour in many species. For species where direct methods of tracking movement and dispersal are unsuitable, other indirect methods need to be employed to understand and characterise these behaviours. The steep population decline, due to predation, at the largest EU population of Leach’s storm-petrels Oceanodroma leucorhoa (St Kilda, Scotland), and the potential part immigrant birds have in buffering this threat, highlighted the need …

An Integrated Ecotoxicological Assessment Of The Engineered Nanoparticles, C60 Fullerenes In Different Life Stages Of Marine Mussels, Mytilus Edulis, Sherain Al-Subiai

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Studies were undertaken to determine ecotoxicological effects of model manufactured or engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), either alone or in combination with a representative polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (i.e. PAHs: fluoranthene) at different levels of biological organisation (viz. biochemical, histological and behavioural levels) in a sentinel, widely distributed marine invertebrate species, Mytilus edulis. With the current and predicted levels of pollution in the marine and coastal environment, there is an urgent need to establish the potential effects of persistent and emerging contaminants which includes ENPs and PAHs, to protect human and environmental health. In this study, initially, it was aimed to optimise the …

William Peckitt’S Great West Window At Exeter Cathedral, Caroline Sarah Atkinson

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis examines the Great West Window at Exeter Cathedral designed by William Peckitt of York (1731-95). Peckitt was arguably the most important glass designer of the eighteenth century and undertook prestigious commissions at York, Oxford and elsewhere. In 1764 he was contracted by the Dean of Exeter, Jeremiah Milles, to supply glass to complete the restoration of the Cathedral’s glazing and to make the new window, which has often been considered to be his masterpiece. Peckitt’s Great West Window is no longer extant (although portions of it have been salvaged), having been replaced in 1904 with a window, designed …

A Mythography Of The Crossroads:How Is The Severance/Threshold/Return Progression In Both Mythology And Modern Wilderness Rites-Of-Passage Established Through Metaphor? An Enquiry Conducted Through Contemporary Storytelling Practice, Martin Shaw

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

How is the Severance/Threshold/Return progression in both mythology and modern wilderness rites-of-passage established through metaphor? An enquiry conducted through contemporary storytelling practice. This research examines the metaphorical structures within seven selected myths in relation to wilderness rites-of-passage, and the key thematic progression of Severance/Threshold/Return. These rites-of-passage are an essential component of an ongoing programme offered to the general public. The research is primarily creative in that the oral texts have been developed from extant myth over several years, and adapted to a variety of performance contexts. The evolution of these oral texts is examined in an analytical text, which draws …

Communicating The Unspeakable: Linguistic Phenomena In The Psychedelic Sphere, Diana R. Slattery

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Psychedelics can enable a broad and paradoxical spectrum of linguistic phenomena from the unspeakability of mystical experience to the eloquence of the songs of the shaman or curandera. Interior dialogues with the Other, whether framed as the voice of the Logos, an alien download, or communion with ancestors and spirits, are relatively common. Sentient visual languages are encountered, their forms unrelated to the representation of speech in natural language writing systems. This thesis constructs a theoretical model of linguistic phenomena encountered in the psychedelic sphere for the field of altered states of consciousness research (ASCR). The model is developed from …

The Supervisory Assemblage: A Singular Doctoral Experience, Elizabeth Done

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

In this thesis, I apply Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s ontology of becoming to my own learning, thinking and writing. The adopted method - nomadic inquiry, is derived from the philosophising of Deleuze, whose concepts function as pedagogic values that I mobilise throughout my writing and perform – not merely explain, to problematise common perceptions of the thesis, supervision and doctoral experience. Deleuze resists models that inhibit context-specific creativity, yet I can readily identify the defining features of my own supervision: resolutely student-centred, facilitative of free experimentation, supportive of my becoming as an academic subject and the writing through which …

Tormented By History: Nationalism In Greece And Turkey [Book Review], Alexander Kitroeff

History Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Design Of Small Scale Anaerobic Digesters For Application In Rural Developing Countries, Laurel Erika Rowse

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The high incidence of upper respiratory diseases, contamination of waterways due to pathogens and nutrients from human and animal wastes, unsustainable deforestation, gender disparities in burden of disease due to unequal exposure to indoor air pollutants, and carbon black emissions from the burning of solid fuels are interrelated problems in many developing countries. Small scale anaerobic digestion provides a means of alleviating these problems by treating livestock waste onsite to produce biogas (methane and carbon dioxide) in rural areas in developing countries. Fuel can then be used for cooking, lighting, and heating. Methane fuel is an alternative to traditional three-stone …

Constructing A "Good" Colonial Society: Representations Of Philippine Colonial Education At The 1887 Philippine Exposition In Madrid And The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, Erin Hardacker

Master's Theses

World's fairs and expositions were major social, political, economic, and cultural events in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These events were places where colonial states could display their achievements in their colonies, as well as produce knowledge and organize people as part of / in aid of the colonial project. It is a generally agreed fact among historians that the colonial exhibits at world's fairs and expositions were often idealized representations, or even deliberate misrepresentations, of colonies and colonial projects. Examining world's fairs and expositions should shed light on how colonial states developed and displayed their colonial education …

Contributory Factors Of Extraneous New Bone Growth On The Endocranial Surfaces Of Human Infant And Sub-Adult Skeletal Remains, Mark Andrew Zahareas

Master's Theses

This study investigates the factors that may contribute to endocranial bone changes in human sub-adult skeletal remains in an effort to differentiate bone changes, or lesions, caused by pathological processes and those caused by growth and development. The contributory factors investigated included the presence of endocranial bone lesions, the age-at-death of the individual, the precise location of the bone change, the dynamic nature of the locations, and the presence (or absence) of postcranial and/or ectocranial indicators of pathology within the individual. The sample population used for this research was comprised of 129 individuals from 15 different Native American groups over …

The River Continuum Redux: Aquatic Insect Diets Reveal The Importance Of Autochthonous Resources In The Salmon River, Idaho, Kathryn Vallis

Master's Theses

Along a river network, changes in the physical characteristics of a stream - changes articulated by the River Continuum Concept (RCC) - have been predicted to influence stream food webs, particularly the resources supporting aquatic macroinvertebrates. Although diets of macroinvertebrates can track resource availability along the longitudinal gradient of streams, insect diets were not assessed in the original RCC study; rather, insects were grouped into functional feeding groups (FFGs). In addition, global climate change is increasing the frequency and spatial extent of wildfire and beetle outbreaks throughout the western United States and could affect riparian vegetation and the amount of …

A Comparison Of Ecological Conditions And Relationships In An Altered Wetland And An Unaltered Wetland, Mark Kiyoshi Hurst

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to identify and quantify the hydrologic and ecologic differences between two adjacent sections of Colt Creek; one section unaltered and one section altered by clearing and drainage. These differences were measured by monitoring water levels, groundcover vegetation in each of the two areas, and monitoring numbers and species of birds utilizing the two areas. Surface water levels were measured in three locations: in the historic Colt Creek flow way, in the ditch draining the creek, and in an adjacent wetland strand. In addition, a shallow monitor well in the creek was used to measure …

Resistance And Accommodation To Racism Among Early Seventh-Day Adventist Missionaries In The American South: A Case Study On Relating To Oppressive Cultural Practices In Missions, Kessia Reyne Bennett

Master's Theses

Topic and Method. A basic task of the missionary is to negotiate the complex social codes of the foreign territory; for early Seventh-day Adventist missionaries in the American South this meant negotiating a culture of racism which oppressed the Black population. The present study investigated how early Adventist missionaries to the South related to the racism they encountered. Using data drawn from books, periodical literature, personal letters, and denominational minutes, the expressions and recorded actions of the missionaries were analyzed to determine how the missionaries’ attitudes and behaviors were related to the cultural racism. Three categories of relationship were utilized …

Distribution And Conservation Status Of Antillean Manatees (Trichechus Manatus Manatus) In Honduras, Daniel González-Socoloske, Cynthia R. Taylor, Olivia R. Rendon Thompson

Faculty Publications

The Antillean manatee, Trichechus manatus manatus, is among the most threatened mammals in Honduras, yet the last published study is from 1980. Since then, the North Coast of Honduras has experienced rapid population growth and land cover change possibly causing habitat loss for manatees. We conducted aerial, boat, and interview surveys between 2005-2007 along the northern and remote eastern coasts of Honduras to assess the current status and distribution of manatees. In addition, we compiled all available data on manatee mortality from museum specimens, unpublished reports, and interviews to determine current threats. We averaged 1.2 manatee sightings per survey hour …

Is Vegetarianism A Diet? Implicit Associations Of Vegetarians And Omnivores On A Vegetarian Campus, Ashley Raethel

Honors Theses

This study examines the differences in implicit attitudes toward meat and vegetables in religious vegetarians and omnivores on a religious, vegetarian campus. Response times and error rates from the Implicit Association Task (IAT) were used to examine whether external diet commitments consistently affect internal attitudes. We found a significant main effect of diet on IAT responses, but no significant interaction of diet with a self-control depleting task. Thus, participants' explicit responses were by far the strongest predictor of their implicit attitudes, demonstrating that, unlike short-term dietary choices, long-term dietary choices are robust in the face of self-control depletion.

Trait Anxiety And Trait Disgust In Spider Phobia, Laura Vernon, Michiyo Hirai

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

There is evidence for the role of trait anxiety in the specific phobias, and spider phobia in particular. Recently, trait disgust has received attention in relation to specific phobia and researchers and theorists have begun to address its contributions to phobia etiology, maintenance, and treatment processes. There is now strong evidence that a trait or dispositional proneness to experience disgust is related to spider phobia. What is perhaps more important is emerging evidence that both trait anxiety and trait disgust may contribute to spider phobia severity independently of one another. However, the overall picture is far from clear and distinguishing …

Secular Not Secularist America, Michael A. Scaperlanda

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

A Content Analysis Of American Civil War Historical Fiction For Upper Elementary Grades, Gwen L. Van Dee

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to analyze the treatment of complex issues of the American Civil War in a fifth grade social studies textbook and historical fiction novels, written for upper elementary readers. The study focused on slavery and racial issues, the stresses of war on families, and the aftermath of war.

A content analysis was conducted, using the fifth grade textbook information as a baseline for concepts to be learned. A sample of American Civil War historical fiction books was gathered using the following method: the H W Wilson's Middle School & Junior High Core Collection database was …

Misconceptions In Middle School Life Science And Strategies Teachers Can Use To Change Them, Jody L. Fairbanks

Graduate Research Papers

Misconceptions and alternative conceptions refer to students' "conceptions that are different from those held by the scientific community" (Sungur, Tekkaya, & Geban, 2001, p. 91). All students have misconceptions due to prior experiences they have had. Students' alternative conceptions are problems for educators because they can block new learning (Sewell, 2002). Therefore, teachers play a crucial role in helping students construct new knowledge upon whatever foundation that already exists. This review of literature examines the findings of research regarding misconceptions, common misconceptions that students have in life science, and how teachers can teach difficult concepts so students are more likely …

Hope And Despair In Young Adult Science Fiction, Erin Stohlmeyer

Graduate Research Papers

As young adult science fiction evolves, it can be difficult to understand the themes and tones found within the genre. The purpose of this research was to discover the hopeful messages or the lack of hope in current young adult science fiction. The themes found during the research process included survival, the search for identity/humanity, post-apocalypse/governmental control, medical advancement (technology), and adventure. Thirteen novels written between 2005 and 20 IO were analyzed for themes and messages. Many novels were found to have vastly different societies, governments, and even landscapes. Some of the differences were due to war, climate change, and …

The Presence Of Gender Stereotypes In Children's Picture Book Illustrations, Jenahlee Chamberlain

Graduate Research Papers

Numerous studies have been conducted throughout the past several decades on the topic of gender stereotypes present in children's picture books. The purpose of this quantitative content analysis is to examine the portrayal of males and females and the representation of gender roles in children's picture book illustrations. This analysis of 43 children's picture books awarded the Caldecott Award or Caldecott Honor between 2001 and 2011 sought to determine whether or not 21st century award winning children's picture book illustrations portrayed gender stereotypes. Each title was analyzed using a content analysis form to test the three hypotheses for this study. …

The Serious Leisure Perspective, Patrick Anthony Beets

Graduate Research Papers

This review will address the relationship of serious leisure that involve youth and will help create a study that can be used based on a participant's experiences. The specific question examined in this paper is: Can serious leisure be used as a vehicle to help youth to develop positive skills that will help increase meaningfulness and battle depression?

The Effectiveness Of Food Tourism Branding: The Case Of Kinsale, The Gourmet Food Capital Of The South., Lisa O'Riordan

Theses

Kinsale is a small fishing village in West Cork. During the summer months, the population increases from three thousand to over twelve thousand, due to the influx of tourists. This may be attributed, in no small way, to Kinsale’s reputation as the gourmet capital of Ireland. Kinsale has been at the core of Ireland’s food circles for many years, and has successfully branded itself as a food tourism destination.

Despite Ireland’s long association with agriculture, food tourism is a relatively unknown concept in the country. Food tourism includes visiting food producers, attending food festivals, restaurants and specific locations for food …

Development, Validation And Application Of Uhplc-Ms/Ms Methods For The Detection Of Veterinary Drug Residues In Food Of Animal Origin, Michelle Whelan

Theses

Ultra high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) technology was utilized for the development of analytical methods for the detection of veterinary drug residues in foods of animal origin. Initial work focused on the development of the mass spectrometry (MS) method for the detection of the analytes of interest and subsequent chromatographic separation. The MS method was optimised to detect both positively and negatively ionised analytes from different classes in a single injection in a 13 minute run time at μg kg^-1levels.

Sample preparation procedures were modified to extract the residues from muscle and …

H-Index, Travis Bartosh

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The h-index is a metric that uses both the number of an author’s publications along with the number of times those publications have been cited by other authors in an attempt to gauge an author’s perceived academic authority in their given fields of research. Balandin and Stancliffe explain how the h-index functionally operates: “If all of a researcher’s total of N publications are listed in order of the number of times they have been citd – from most to least – then that researcher’s h-index is the number of papers (h) that have been cited h or more times.” For …

Cairo- A City In Transition, Christopher Horwood

Faculty Books

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Three Concept Mapping Strategies On Seventh-Grade Students' Science Achievement At An Urban Middle School, Navdeep Dosanjh

Doctoral Dissertations

unavailable