Digital Commons Network^™

Graphene Casimir Interactions And Some Possible Applications, Anh Duc Phan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Scientific development requires profound understandings of micromechanical and nanomechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) due to their applications not only in the technological world, but also for scientific understanding. At the micro- or nano-scale, when two objects are brought close together, the existence of stiction or adhesion is inevitable and plays an important role in the behavior operation of these systems. Such effects are due to surface dispersion forces, such as the van der Waals or Casimir interactions. The scientific understanding of these forces is particularly important for low-dimensional materials. In addition, the discovery of materials, such as graphitic systems has provided opportunities …

Socioscientific Issues: A Path Towards Advanced Scientificliteracy And Improved Conceptual Understanding Of Socially Controversial Scientific Theories, Dean William Pinzino

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This thesis investigates the use of socioscientific issues (SSI) in the high school science classroom as an introduction to argumentation and socioscientific reasoning, with the goal of improving students' scientific literacy (SL). Current research is reviewed that supports the likelihood of students developing a greater conceptual understanding of scientific theories as well as a deeper understanding of the nature of science (NOS), through participation in informal and formal forms of argumentation in the context of SSI. Significant gains in such understanding may improve a student's ability to recognize the rigor, legitimacy, and veracity of scientific claims and better discern …

Responses To Chemical Exposure By Foraminifera: Distinguishing Dormancy From Mortality, Benjamin James Ross

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Deepwater Horizon blowout in 2010 released an estimated 4.9 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico in the 83 days between the initial explosion and the capping of the well. Response included extensive use of Corexit© oil dispersant. Although South Florida was spared exposure by currents, this event highlights the need for effective bioassay organisms for coral reefs. Amphistegina spp. are benthic foraminifers that host diatom symbionts in a relationship similar to that of coral and their zooxanthellae. Amphistegina spp. occur abundantly in reef communities nearly worldwide, are easily collected and maintained in culture, and are …

The Rhetoric Of Evidence In Recent Documentary Film And Video, Steven W. Schoen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Documentary is a genre of film that portrays "real" events using depictions that connote the objectivity and facticity implied by the processes of photorealism. Many contemporary documentary theorists and critics observe a constitutive problem in this ethos: despite the apparent constructions and agendas of documentary filmmaking, the framing and assumption of documentary as a window on the world tend to naturalize its own constructions as "real." Critics who engage documentary trace the multitude of ways this problem plays out in particular films. These projects yield many important insights, but they most often approach documentary as a form of inherently deficient …

Cyberwar And International Law: An English School Perspective, Anthony F. Sinopoli

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cyberwar challenges future endeavors of state security. As technological capability has improved, and access to information has become more widespread the importance of the issue in today's ever-globalizing world grows each day. A primary objective is to evaluate the place of cyber-warfare against nation-states and any repercussions under an international law paradigm. Utilizing an English School perspective, emphasis will be applied to the argument that disruptive circumstances could come to fruition if international conventions are not created to bring consensus and order among nation-states on this subject. This study hypothesizes that a future application could be an agreement under international …

Improvisational Music Performance: On-Stage Communication Of Power Relationships, David A. Steinweg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project explores how musical improvisational processes come into being through interacting discursive power relationships that are embodied and enacted through performance. By utilizing the concepts of framing and performativity I am able to show how discursive power constitutes the performance of improvisational music. To exemplify this theory, the project presents a case study examining a Grateful Dead cover band named Uncle John's Band that performs at Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa, FL. Using an ethnographic methodology, the project articulates the dominant discursive power relationships that constitute Uncle John's Band's improvisational performances. The dominant discursive power relationships revolve around the lived …

Changes In Attitudes And Behaviors Toward Physical Activity, Nutrition, And Social Support For Middle School Students Using The Afit App As A Suppliment To Instruction In A Physical Education Class, Thomas Andrew Watterson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Finding ways to improve nutritional and physical activity components with today's adolescents is a significant problem. The obesity epidemic is over 10 years old and little research has been done on successful interventions that motivate today's students using the latest technology. A total of 140 middle school students and four physical education teachers participated in a 4-week study using a newly created application (AFIT app) for supplemental teaching in and out of the classroom. Combining a theoretical framework of Self-Determination and motivating strategies implored in today's mobile technology, significance was found using the PACE (2001) instrument in fruits and …

The Homegrown Jihad: A Comparative Study Of Youth Radicalization In The United States And Europe, William Wolfberg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Western nations continue to face potential attacks from violent extremist organizations waging a campaign of violence in the name of political Islam. Though these attacks are traditionally labeled as originating from abroad, leaders of these extremist organizations are utilizing a new tactic of radicalizing native or naturalized citizens from within Western countries in an effort to bypass the massive defensive security apparatus Western governments have put in place since the September 11 attacks.

These undistinguishable citizens turned radical jihadists, better known as homegrown terrorists, represent a clear and present danger to the security of the United States. In an effort …

Gender Differences In Subtypes Of Workplace Aggression, Zhiqing Zhou

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to categorize workplace aggression into nine subtypes based on human aggression and workplace aggression literature, and to examine gender differences in engaging in these subtypes of workplace aggression. Data collected from 366 employed students showed that a significant gender difference was found only in direct workplace aggression and there were no gender differences in the other eight workplace aggression subtypes; verbal, direct, and passive workplace aggression was more frequently used than physical, indirect and active workplace aggression, respectively. Data collected from 83 employee-supervisor pairs showed that compared to supervisors' reports, female employees' self-reports …

"Are We Supposed To Be The Guy On The Horse?" A Case Study On The Use Of Political Cartoons In The American History Classroom, James Manuel Duran

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent reports on the media saturation experienced by the twenty-first century student have brought about an increased interest in focusing attention on the issue of visual literacy in today's schools. Concepts such as instructional personalization, where approaches to curriculum design and instruction are created to concentrate on the individual strengths of the learner, have been promoted by some as a path to improving overall student performance. Many believe that the content of the Social Studies classroom easily lends itself to a visually stimulating approach and as such is an ideal laboratory to test hypotheses on such an approach. This study …

Differential Susceptibility To Social Network Influences On School Motivation In A Cohort Of Sixth Graders, Justin William Vollet

Dissertations and Theses

Students' classroom engagement is a strong predictor of positive educational outcomes including academic achievement, GPA, and standardized test scores. Most existing research has focused on the role of quality parenting and teaching in the development of student engagement. However, some research has shown small, yet significant effects of influences from students' peer groups on the development of their engagement. The goal of this study was to explore whether some children are more susceptible to the effects of their peer groups, and to examine a series of possible factors that might amplify the influence of a target students peer group on …

The Giants Among Us, Robin Feldman, Tom Ewing

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Tax Compliance And Norm Formation Under High-Penalty Regimes, Susan C. Morse

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Figurative Language In The Immigration Debate: Comparing Early 20th Century And Current U.S. Debate With The Contemporary European Debate, Ensieh Biria

Dissertations and Theses

This study analyzes newspaper coverage of immigration reform in mainstream newspapers prior to, and following the debate in June 2007. The newspaper text is analyzed using metaphor interpretation supported by content analysis. The quantitative result categorizes the identified metaphors in three distinct metaphor categories about: immigrants and immigration, immigration policy and enforcement, and metaphors about the debate and immigration issue itself. The relative distribution of metaphors among categories is provided. Using an open coding process, emergent metaphor categories are identified. The qualitative findings describe metaphors and schemas that were potentially activated by particular metaphorical phrases in this context. Lastly, this …

Public Participation In Emergency Management, Jason Alexander Rood

Dissertations and Theses

With disasters increasing in frequency and costs each year, this study seeks to explore ways greater public participation can assist emergency managers in their mission to keep communities safe. Specifically this study examines the policy process and administrative functions of emergency management to illuminated the benefits and hindrances involved in greater participation. This study conducted a qualitative analysis of governmental documents, disaster case studies, international research, as well as political science and administrative doctrines, to arrive at its conclusions. The results of this study reveal that the public is a largely untapped resource in the emergency management field. Engaging the …

Assessing Environmental Inequality In Portland, Oregon: An Exploration Of Local Environmental Justice Struggles, Jordan Douglas Folks

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores patterns of environmental inequality in Portland, Oregon; both the existence of spatial environmental inequalities and the structural and local forces which contribute to them. Research on environmental inequality, or inequitable exposure to toxins, has shown that minority and low-income populations experience the bulk of the exposure to environmental hazards. Although Portland is often cited as the archetype of a sustainable city, environmental inequality is a pervasive issue. This thesis examines the health inequalities that characterize underserved communities in Portland. Utilizing a mixed methods approach, the researcher uses 1) logistic regression to statistically assess the relationship between race, …

Understanding The Emission From Semiconductor Nanoparticles, Beth Ann Manhat

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation describes the synthesis and characterization of fluorescent semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs) in order to optimize their biomedical utility for imaging and sensing applications. While both direct and indirect bandgap semiconductor NPs have been studied, control over their emission properties vary. Quantum confinement (QC), which primarily controls the emission wavelength of nanosized semiconductors, dictates that as the size of semiconductor NPs decrease, the magnitude of the bandgap increases, resulting in changes in the observed emission wavelength: smaller NPs have a larger bandgap, and thus a bluer emission. However, surface, interfacial, or shell defects can act as non-radiative or radiative recombination …

Fluorescence Detection Of Biological Thiols, Yixing Guo

Dissertations and Theses

Glutathione (GSH) is an important biological thiol, it performs significant biological functions such as serving an antioxidant which protect cells from oxidative stress by trapping free radicals which damage DNA and RNA. It is known that abnormal plasma levels of GSH have been linked to various human diseases. Therefore, the rapid, sensitive and highly selective detection of GSH is of great importance for investigating its functions in diseases diagnosis. Interestingly, we found in cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) medium, the resorufin-based probe shows an extremely fast, highly selective response to GSH. The result indicates that this dye can be employed to …

Introduction To "Litigating Palestine: Can Courts Secure Palestinian Rights?", George Bisharat

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

China's 20th Century Sophist: Analysis Of Hu Shi's Ethics, Logic, And Pragmatism, Rya Butterfield

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This is a study of the theory of critical Sophistic logic that underwrote Hu Shi’s involvement in China’s 20th century reform period known as the Chinese Renaissance. Hu Shi was a radical liberal reformer who played a leading role in the New Culture Movement. He pursued a two-pronged project for cultural reform. One side of the reform was focused on developing a critical pragmatic logical theory. This side was aimed at the intellectual class and appealed to the heritage of the Confucian literati. The other side of the reform was focused on lifting the people’s vernacular language from vulgarity to …

Assessing Intention Of Volunteers To Develop Their Leadership: Creation Of An Instrument Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Janina Marie Fuller

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

During the current tough economic times volunteers are playing an increasingly important role in making human services widely available and in building collaborative community partnerships. Volunteers are most likely to be productive, to be satisfied with their experience, and to sustain their volunteer service when the opportunities provided to them are aligned with their motives for volunteering, which may include building the kinds of knowledge, skills, and interpersonal awareness that are the cornerstones of leadership. Organizations that purposefully recognize, support, and develop their volunteers’ leadership potential generate positive outcomes not only for themselves and their volunteers, but also for the …

Evaluation Of A Proton Pencil Bean Algorithm For Dose Calculations In Heterogenous Media, Nels C. Knutson

LSU Master's Theses

Purpose: To develop an improved nuclear halo dose model of a pencil beam algorithm (PBA) for dose calculation of proton beams in heterogeneous media. Methods: The proton PBA consisted of a central axis term and an off axis term. The central axis term was determined from a central axis depth dose profile of a Monte Carlo simulated proton beam in water and was scaled by a mass stopping power ratio to account for other materials. The off axis term was determined from Fermi-Eyges scattering theory with material-dependent scattering powers to calculate the lateral spread of the proton beam in heterogeneous …

An Experimental And Theoretical Critique Of Flow Model Accuracy, Shannon Ray Chollett

LSU Master's Theses

In today’s exploration and production environment it is required that engineers must collect and use vast amounts of data for flow model construction and calibra- tion, as well as reservoir estimation and optimization. With modern technology, the data volume can be overwhelming. It is necessary that data monitoring and calibration are highly efficient. It is also essential that physical and mathematical models can be tested in repeatable, inexpensive experiments. The experiments described in this thesis will develop and perform verification of algorithms and can generate prior geomodels, collect and process seismic refraction data, collect and process production data, and calibrate …

Perverse Incentives Arising From The Tax Provisions Of Healthcare Reform: Why Further Reforms Are Needed To Prevent Avoidable Costs To Low- And Moderate-Income Workers, David Gamage

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Called “Obamacare” by some, the Affordable Care Act (or “ACA”) is the most extensive reform to the American healthcare system since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. The ACA promises many improvements to American health care. While recognizing the importance of these improvements, this Article focuses on how the ACA’s tax provisions will create avoidable costs for low- and moderate-income workers.

This Article argues that – once key tax-related provisions of the ACA come into effect in 2014 – the ACA will create perverse incentives with respect to a number of important decisions affecting low- and moderate-income Americans, …

Fashioning The Future: The U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps, 1943-1948, Meghann Lanae Landry

LSU Master's Theses

The United States Cadet Nurse Corps, a student-nurse recruitment program administered by the United States Public Health Service, provided federal funding for nursing education during World War II. The subject of nursing on the American home front has largely been ignored, though nursing scholarship has focused, on occasion, on the more exciting battlefield experiences of the Army Nurse Corps. World War II launched a social revolution and set America on its path to a postwar consensus. Although a few historians have briefly mentioned the Corps’ successful media recruitment campaign, its role in the social revolution remains unacknowledged. This thesis examines …

L'Embarras Du Choix: A Year Of Developments In The Laws Affecting Remittance Transfers, Credit Cards, And Certain Prepaid Cards, Sarah Jane Hughes

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Impulse Buying On The Internet, Claire Elizabeth Crafts

LSU Master's Theses

Technology makes buying faster, smarter, and more convenient for consumers, and supplies endless opportunities for impulse buying. Research of this topic examines influencers for impulsive online shopping, and marketing techniques used to encourage such actions. After a thorough literature review to identify important factors relating to impulsive purchases and to develop hypotheses, a survey is conducted to provide data on which the hypotheses can be tested. The survey is divided into four sections examining the effectiveness of online marketing techniques, shopping habits, Internet habits, and questions relating to a recent online impulse purchase. Theories to test include ones relating to …

First Amendment, Fourth Estate, And Hot News: Misappropriation Is Not A Solution To The Journalism Crisis, Joseph A. Tomain

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Journalism is a public good. The Framers understood the importance of a free press in a self-governing society and embedded a structural right for freedom of the press in the First Amendment. There is a journalism crisis. Symptoms of the crisis include layoffs of journalists, diminishing content in newspapers and shuttering of newspapers. The rise of online technologies has exacerbated the crisis, mainly by siphoning advertising revenue away from traditional news organizations to free classified advertisement websites such as Craigslist, search engines and myriad other non-journalistic online endeavors. The internet, however, is not the main cause of the journalism crisis. …

Local Political Knowledge And Assessments Of Citizen Competence, Lee Shaker

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article contrasts the national and local political knowledge of a random sample of 993 Philadelphians with the aim of enhancing the scholarly understanding of citizen competence. Empirical study of citizen competence extends back more than fifty years, but the survey data that have been brought to bear upon the topic are almost exclusively focused on national-level politics. Consequently, sweeping conclusions about the competence of the American public rest upon a narrow foundation. The comparisons in this article depict a slew of differences in the distribution of knowledge across national and local politics, many of which challenge established notions of …

Survival Of The Standard: Today's Public Interest Requirement In Television Broadcasting And The Return To Regulation, Drew Simshaw

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.