Digital Commons Network^™

The Challenges “Facing” Copyright Protection For Tattoos, Yolanda M. King

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

This Article addresses the ambiguity regarding the legal protectability of tattoos and the negative impact such ambiguity has on the rights of tattoo artists and their clients/customers. Notwithstanding the lack of federal court decisions in this area of the law, this Article determines that tattoos meet the requirements of copyrightability in the United States—originality and fixation in a tangible medium of expression. This Article examines the challenges presented by providing copyright protection for tattoos. In particular, this Article responds to the expert testimony of Professor David Nimmer, the author of a treatise often cited in the field of copyright law, …

Could The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform And Consumer Protection Act Of 2010 Be Helpful In Reforming Corporate America? An Investigation On Financial Bounties And Whistle-Blowing Behaviors In The Private Sector, Kelly Pope, Chih-Chen Lee

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the availability of financial bounties and anonymous reporting channels impact individuals’ general reporting intentions of questionable acts and whether the availability of financial bounties will prompt people to reveal their identities. The recent passage of the Dodd– Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 creates a financial bounty for whistle-blowers. In addition, SOX requires companies to provide employees with an anonymous reporting channel option. It is unclear of the effect of these provisions as they relate to whistleblowing. Our results indicate that a financial bounty has the potential …

Investigation Of Best Practices For Maintenance Of Concrete Bridge Railings, Angel Luis Lence

LSU Master's Theses

Biodeterioration on concrete surfaces of vertical elements of bridges represents a serious challenge to the highway infrastructure in Louisiana. This investigation aims to document the causes of biodeterioration of concrete surfaces and to document current conventional and state-of-the-art practices implemented to prevent and clean biofilm. A comprehensive literature review of previous research has been carried out in order to determine the cause and mechanisms of the biodeterioration as well as to identify current methods that state DOTs have implemented in order to maintain their bridges and allow them to function in optimal structural and performance conditions. A survey was developed …

Characterization Of Epibenthic And Demersal Megafauan At Mississippi Canyon 252 Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Marla Maxine Valentine

LSU Master's Theses

Increased demand for new sources of oil and gas has resulted in an expansion of drilling into deeper waters. With this exploratory drilling come increased risks, which were realized on April 20, 2010 when the blow out preventer on the Macondo Well failed, resulting in the release of a large quantity of oil and gas into the Northern Gulf of Mexico from a bathypelagic source. This unprecedented environmental disaster was coined the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill by the popular news media. In the months that followed the spill, the lack of knowledge about the pre-spill condition of deep-sea communities in …

A Microfluidic Bacteria Culturing Device With Maldi Mass Spectrometry Detection, Pratap Reddy Machavaram Siva

LSU Master's Theses

A novel microfluidic device was developed for bacterial cell culturing using mass spectrometry as the detector. One of the challenges in proteomics is to achieve high sensitivity in the identification of proteins in complex samples with widely varying concentrations. The main limitations for proteomic studies are relatively slow and labor-intensive steps such as cell culturing and protein digestion of small sample quantities. Microfluidics is a promising approach to increase throughput and to reduce the time-consuming steps that are necessary for proteomics. When an analytical detection method is combined with microfluidics it can overcome limitations that are important in the analysis …

Selected Poems, Jason Fishel

Quill & Scope

No abstract provided.

Peel-Off Lawyers: Legal Professionals In India's Corporate Law Firm Sector, Jayanth K. Krishnan

Articles by Maurer Faculty

This study is about hierarchy within the legal profession – how it presents itself, how it is retained, and how it is combated. The socio-legal literature on this subject is rich, with many roots tracing back to Professor Marc Galanter’s famous early 1970s article on the ‘Haves’ and ‘Have-Nots.’ Galanter’s piece and the work of those influenced by him rightly suggest that resources – institutional, financial, and demographic – contribute to whether lawyers are, and remain as, part of the ‘Haves.’ Yet, while resources of course greatly matter, as this study will argue other forces are significant as well. One …

The Evolution Of Social Media In Equipment Finance, James M. Johnson, Suzanne E. Henry

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Tyrants Within Us And The Thread Of History : The Creation Of "Sic Semper Tyrannis," A One-Person Play, Benjamin Todd Koucherik

LSU Master's Theses

The assigned task was to create and perform a 20-40 minute long one-person play, with no other guidelines or restrictions offered. Having never performed in or written a full one-person play, my challenge was two-fold: create a cohesive and coherent script, and craft the production and performance of that script. From several inspirational sources, I was spurred on to explore the dynamics of revolutionaries, fanatics, and vigilantes through the lens of presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth. Through the combination of Booth’s infamy and the modern day realities of fame-seeking, political divisiveness, and tragically pervasive “spectacle killing” events, I was ultimately …

When Your Good Friends Wear Prada : A Study Of Parasocial Relationships, Attractiveness, And Life Satisfaction, Kristen Marie Higdon

LSU Master's Theses

This study focuses on how viewers’ relationships with their favorite media characters can impact their outlook on their own lives. Through the examination of parasocial relationships (PSRs), attractiveness, and the traits of materialism and envy, this study looks at the consequences of such traits on one’s life satisfaction. Overall, the theoretical model presented argues to make the connection from one’s PSR to his or her life satisfaction. Using a sample of undergraduate students, participants were asked to complete a survey that examined individuals' relationships with their favorite fictional media character through the study of various characteristics, habits, and media uses. …

A Stylistic Analysis Of Libyan Short Stories : The Connotation Of Adjectives, Safa M. Elnaili

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT Between 1969 and 2011, Libya experienced an oppressive dictatorship that paralyzed the country`s political, economical, and social growth. Libya`s literary identity was oppressed due to the policy of censorship and authors were unable to express their opinions freely. In fear of punishment, most Libyan writers criticized the regime and discussed their struggles in the society only implicitly. Censorship has led Libyan writers to adopt different literary styles to reflect on society. In this paper, I will shed light on one of the writers` techniques by examining six Libyan short stories using a stylistics analysis approach. I analyze the lexical …

Climate Action Progress, 2013, Campus Sustainability Office

Campus Sustainability Office Publications, Reports and Presentations

In 2010, Portland State University (PSU) adopted the University’s first Climate Action Plan (CAP) as part of the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The CAP calls for climate neutrality by 2040 and identifies emission reduction targets in the following areas: Buildings & Energy, Materials, Travel, Commuting, Education & Research, and EcoDistrict Development. This report serves as an assessment of progress to date and provides: an updated carbon emissions profile, a snapshot of progress on individual actions, a summary of efforts contributing to CAP goals, and suggestions regarding next steps.

Membership-Based Fundraising Within Higher Education : A Strategic Marketing Management Perspective, Joshua Paul Garland

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis provides a comprehensive approach to launching a successful parent membership-based fundraising program, an exploration of best practices in the United States, and a complete development plan for parent fundraising for a large public university. The research discussed is applicable to many different organizations who wish to start a parent fundraising program, with the strongest relevance on parent fundraising within large public universities. This thesis is intended for an audience familiar with the intricacies of fundraising; however, primary, secondary, and other higher education markets may be strongly interested in the research discussed.

The Development And Validation Of The Physical Appearance Comparison Scale-Revised (Pacs-R), Lauren M. Schaefer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Physical Appearance Comparison Scale (PACS; Thompson, Heinberg, & Tantleff, 1991) is a widely used 5-item measure that assesses an overall tendency to compare one's own appearance to the appearance of others in social situations. Research using the PACS and other measures of appearance comparison has shown this construct to be related to higher levels of body dissatisfaction and eating pathology. However, the measure is limited in that it only assesses comparison tendencies within a narrow range of social contexts and body sites. In the current investigation, the PACS was revised to examine a broader range of social contexts (e.g., …

The Baby Blues: Mothers' Experiences After Adoption, Brigette Barno Schupay

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

It is not uncommon for new mothers to experience depression. However, depression after the arrival of a child is not limited to biological mothers. The term Post-Adoption Depression Syndrome (PADS) was created to capture the unique type of depression that may occur after adopting a child. The nature and prevalence of depression after adoption is still largely unknown since there is little published research exploring the experiences of mothers in the first year after adopting a child. The characteristics of this disorder are reportedly comparable to postpartum depression in a biological mother. A review of postpartum literature reveals risk …

Aligning Human Resource Development With The Strategic Priorities Of Healthcare Organizations: The Cfo Perspective, Carla Breedlove Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No

Refiguring Indexicality: Remediation, Film, & Memory In Contemporary Japanese Visual Media, Janine Marie Villot

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Through an analog between film and memory, I argue contemporary Japanese visual media constantly remediates this relationship in order to develop a more inclusive, plastic indexicality that allows media without direct material contiguity access to an indexicality not typically attributed to it. Amidst the early twenty-first century shift from old, mechanical media to new, electronic media, each Japanese text engages the West through intercultural discourses and intracultural responses, just as Japan has continually encountered the West since its forced opening by Commodore Perry in 1853. The plasticized indexicality figured by contemporary Japanese visual media implies the plastic nature of abstracted …

Affective Components Perceived To Be Important In Today's Global Society From A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Helena H. Wallenberg-Lerner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Global competencies, with differences in terminology by various researchers, had been frequently investigated, primarily from an American-biased perspective. Little or no defining research existed that identified requisite, universally agreed upon global competencies, or identified what affective components were perceived to be important cross culturally.

This research study answered the following questions:

1. What affective components are perceived to be important from a cross-cultural perspective?

2. Are there differences in these perceptions of affective components from a cross-cultural perspective?

The purpose of the study was to explore the extent to which individuals in different GeoCultural regions view and identify affective components …

Intermediate-Level Chinese Language Learners' Social Communication In Chinese On Facebook: A Mixed Methods Study, Shenggao Wang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With Facebook widely embraced by college students, exploring its educational uses has piqued both educators' and researchers' interest (Mills, 2011; Reinhardt & Zander, 2011; Thorne, 2011). Drawing on a functional perspective of language use, this study explored what kind of language functions intermediate-level Chinese language learners performed when they conducted social communication in Chinese on Facebook and whether conducting weekly social communication in Chinese on Facebook impacted their writing ability. A mixed methods design was adopted. A qualitative approach addressed discourse functions of student communication on Facebook. The qualitative data were mainly collected from nine students' Facebook posts during one …

Assessing Hurricane Preparedness Among Residential Staff At Louisiana State University: A Case Study On Hurricane Isaac, Ashley Marie Weatherall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Studying hurricane preparedness among the Resident Assistants (RAs) and Residence Life Coordinators (RLCs) at Louisiana State University (LSU) is imperative to assure that the university housing staff is fully equipped when faced with an oncoming threat. This study seeks to fill a gap in research by investigating the influences of preparedness on student housing employees. A survey was developed and the measures were found to be coherent and internally reliable through the use of factor analysis. Based on theory and previous literature, a linear regression model was developed that quantified the relationship between the independent variable of preparedness and general …

An Analysis Of How Female Business Owners Construct And Communicate Identity, Allison Dawn Weidhaas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Individuals often get asked: So what do you do? This question can be challenging for those in less traditional work settings, such as stay-at-home-moms and the self-employed. To help women better understand the range of possible responses, this study explores how women in Public Relations respond to identity questions that involve both their work and personal lives. I begin by situating the study within relevant literature on entrepreneurship, female business owners, the history of women in the workplace, work/life issues, Public Relations, the use of language to construct work identity, and structuration theory. I conducted one-on-one qualitative interviews as my …

The Sopranos Experience, Eli Benjamin Weidinger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My thesis explores what I call the "Sopranos Experience," which draws upon both the historical conventions of the gangster genre as well as the aesthetics and economics of pay-cable television to complicate The Sopranos' (HBO, 1999-2007) psychological relationship with the 21st-century, neoliberal American audience. The Sopranos Experience explicates how wavering identifications and dis-identifications that develop for the spectator through the series' form and content draw the responsibility of an audience away from moral ultimatums that attempt to finalize their experience with the genre, and towards a more personal ethical entanglement with the characters and their socioeconomic anxieties and desires. The …

Becoming A Teacher In Multiple Voices: An Exploration Of Teacher Identity Formation Among Teachers Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mary E. Wilt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the formation of teacher identity among four teachers of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and my own by examining our perspectives, influences, and experiences at different points in our careers and determining the similarities and differences that exist in our professional and educational experiences. This study focused on how teacher identity is defined within the field of education, the current literature on teacher identity formation, and the importance of understanding the formation of teacher identity among teachers of children with autism, as well as how my own teacher identity has been …

The Effect Of Drug Resistance On Plasmodium Falciparum Transmission And Gametocyte Development, Samantha Olivia Aylor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In order to reduce malaria prevalence worldwide, a better understanding of parasite transmission and the effect of drug resistance is needed. The effect of drug resistance on malaria transmission has been examined for some drugs, but not for mitochondrial inhibitors such as atovaquone and the current basis of malaria therapy, artemisinin. Therefore, the goal of this study was to produce gametocytes, the life cycle stage that transmits from mosquito to human, in several different drug resistant patient isolates as well as to determine the effect of drug resistance on gametocyte development and transmission. Previous studies have shown that the mutation …

Curriculum Gatekeeping In Global Education: Global Educators' Perspectives, Robert Wayne Bailey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Teaching social studies from a global perspective has been resisted by many since its inception (Kirkwood, 2009). Critics have labeled the theory anti-American and unpatriotic (Schlafly, 1986; Burack, 2001). Others are concerned with its shifting perspectives and apparent lack of core facts (Finn, 1988). Over time, some critics have changed their stance on global teaching and now endorse the idea (Ravitch, 2010). This qualitative case study sought to identify the barriers seven self-proclaimed global educators faced while teaching global themes and to identify the effective gatekeeping strategies for circumventing such obstacles. The goal was to provide a rich, compelling account …

Teachers' Beliefs, Knowledge, And Implementation Of Disciplinary Literacy Pedagogy In Three Advanced Placement United States History Classrooms, Stephanie Bennett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this inquiry, I investigated three Advanced Placement United State History teachers' beliefs, knowledge, and implementation of disciplinary literacy pedagogy in their Advanced Placement United States History (APUSH) classrooms. My interest in disciplinary literacy evolved from my own experiences as a high school social studies teacher and middle school intensive reading teacher. With the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, whose emphasis is, in part, on discipline-specific literacy, across the United States in 2014-2015, I recognize the need for research relevant to discipline-specific practices in the classroom. I want to contribute further to the understandings of disciplinary literacy pedagogy. …

Model Pt- And Pd-Based Electrocatalysts For Low Temperature Fuel Cells Applications, Selasi Ofoe Blavo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the search for alternative energy technologies, low temperature fuel cells continue to feature as technologies with the most promise for mass commercialization. Among the low temperature fuel cells, alkaline and proton exchange membrane fuel cells are the most popular. Alkaline fuel cells have typically been used for water generation as well as auxiliary power for space shuttles. Their bulkiness however makes them undesirable for other applications, especially in automobiles, where there is a great demand for alternative technologies to internal combustion engines. Proton exchange membrane fuel cells on the other hand possess numerous qualities including their compact size, high …

Rhetorical Spirits: Spirituality As Rhetorical Device In New Age Womanist Of Color Texts, Ronisha Witlee Browdy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Throughout history African–American women have struggled against oppressions that have stereotyped their identities, scrutinized their character, and ultimately labeled their bodies inferior and inhuman. Despite the debilitating ideologies and barriers African–American women have been forced to operate within, they have fought against these racist, sexist, classist, homophobic environments, crafting their own “new” ethos through writing, as well as entertainment and popular culture. Although Black women remain plagued by history, the New Age of the 1980s as discussed by Akasha Gloria Hull in Soul Talk: The New Spirituality of African–American Women seemed to spark a new spirituality amongst African–American women. During …

Structure, Dynamics, And Evolution Of The Intrinsically Disordered P53 Transactivation Domain, Wade Michael Borcherds

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

in numerous disease states, including cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. All proteins are dynamic in nature, occupying a range of conformational flexibilities. This inherent flexibility is required for their function, with ordered proteins and IDPs representing the least flexible, and most flexible, respectively. As such IDPs possess little to no stable tertiary or secondary structure, they instead form broad ensembles of heterogeneous structures, which fluctuate over multiple time scales. Although IDPs often lack stable secondary structure they can assume a more stable structure in the presence of their binding partners in a coupled folding binding reaction.

The phenomenon of the dynamic …

Spectatorial Shock And Carnal Consumption: (Re)Envisaging Historical Trauma In New French Extremity, Christopher Butler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

New French Extremity films are violent, transgressive, and break many social taboos in their narratives. However, this genre's directors are intelligent and construct these films with clues to France's past and how it still has implications in the present. This thesis was written to point out how New French Extremity films offer spectators the potential to reincorporate traumatic moments in French history by juxtaposing them against present day social, political, and economic ideologies. The purpose for this course of study was to investigate historical encounters that are present in New French Extremity filmmaking, something that has yet to be addressed …