Digital Commons Network^™

Metamorphosis Of Self: A Monstrous Exploration Of Emotions And Dreams, Kierra Boyd

Theses & ETDs

Dreams are remarkable subconscious vehicles for processing and exploring emotions, amplifying many of their complexities and unpleasantries. I utilize dreams as a template for my own artistic work, imbuing my artworks with specific moods and emotions in a manner which parallels the theoretical dream studies of Sigmund Freud, Rosalind D. Cartwright, and Carl Jung. My work examines the delicate, informative relationship between emotions, dreams, and the psyche itself through a series of disjointed mininarratives populated by monsters. Additionally, I discuss the concept of metamorphosis in conjunction with psychological development and examine artists of the folk art and pop surrealist movements …

Blurred Lines: Sexual Consent In Popular Music Lyrics, Robin Lindsley

Theses & ETDs

This study examines the extent to which the lyrics of popular music portray sexual consent and beliefs and behaviors that contribute to the reproduction of rape culture. Using content analysis, I explore the top 20 U.S. Billboard songs each year from 2013-2017 (n=100). Based on the selected definitions of sexual consent and rape culture, the lyrics were coded for explicit and implicit mentions of sex, asking/telling consent, assumed consent, coercion, objectification, being overcome with lust, alcohol, and drugs.,. Chi-square tests demonstrated a significant correlation between the presence of sex in a song being accompanied by alcohol, assumed consent, coercion, drugs, …

“How Not To Smash Planets By Accident”: Allegory, History, And The Aspirations Of Fantasy, Ross Leach

Theses & ETDs

In this thesis, I consider the ways in which two novels of speculative fiction, Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin and Pym by Mat Johnson, manipulate the historical materiality of racial allegory. The protagonists of each novel seek to diagnose etiologies and treat pathologies of Whiteness that manifest at once in the fictional world of the novels and in the world of the producers of the fiction. Individuals and institutions of power in both reality and these fantastic novels propagate mythologized worldviews, based in historical fact but transmuted into allegories suiting the maintenance of their power. Yeine, Jemisin’s protagonist, does …

“Self-Indulgent Nonsense”: Why Academics Write Badly And Why It Matters, Liliana Solomon

Theses & ETDs

In this thesis, I discuss the long-standing trend of academics writing inaccessibly, and explore the consequences of this writing for academics and the general public. In Chapter One, I review the most cited and trusted texts about writing to establish a basis for “good” and “bad” writing, and provide a brief history of how academic writing came to be so “bad.” In Chapter Two, I explore the tangible consequences of bad academic writing in high school, undergrad, postgrad, and beyond. In Chapter Three, I take on the project of “translating” and “rewriting” three prime examples of inaccessible academic writing, to …

“Aren’T You A Little Strong For A Lady?”: A Content Analysis Of Gender Representations In Contemporary Superhero Movies, Addison Allen

Theses & ETDs

Superhero movies have become increasingly popular since the turn of the 21st century. Since these movies are so popular, they have the potential to reach large audiences and communicate cultural messages, including messages about gender. Being a superhero is inherently masculine because traits associated with superheroes are also associated with current conceptions of hegemonic masculinity: they are brave, strong, and successful. Because of this inherent masculinity, female superheroes are contradictions, therefore, their masculine existence as superheroes conflicts with the expectation that they are supposed to be feminine. The current study explores how male and female super characters are represented in …

Partial Synthesis Of A Novel Oxazolidinone Analogue, Jessica Calzadilla

Theses & ETDs

Bacterial infections are a leading cause of death in many countries worldwide. Antibiotic resistance is becoming more and more prevalent, leading to outbreaks of resistant bacteria. Additionally, there have been few successful attempts at making new antibiotics in the past three decades. This thesis is an attempt to create a 1,2,3-triazole analogue of linezolid: an oxazolidinone antibiotic. The goal of creating this antibiotic is to increase gramnegative activity of this antibiotic as compared to linezolid, and to create an antibiotic that bacteria are not yet resistant to, as resistances to oxazolidinones have already been discovered. Three model click reactions were …

Elasmobranch Diversity And Abundance In A Known Shark Nursery Terra Ceia Bay, Florida, Danielle Zeris

Theses & ETDs

Elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays) are influential parts of the ecosystems in which they reside. If there is a drastic drop or shift in their population it can affect not only them, but other species as well. Knowing which areas certain species are using as nursery areas is important from a conservation and management standpoint. In order to classify an area as a nursery site for a species, certain criteria must be met. If an area is being used as a nursery site for one species, often times other species are using it as a nursery ground as well. Terra …

Epigenetics Of Gulf War Illness, Gaurav Kiri

Theses & ETDs

GulfWar Illness (GWI) is a multisymptomatic chronic illness that affects veterans of the First Gulf War (1990-1991) and symptoms continue to persist decades later. The most troubling symptoms are neurologic changes such as fatigue, memory loss, mood changes, and depression. Past epidemiologic research has implicated exposure to two chemical agents, pyridostigmine bromide (PB) and permethrin (PER), that were used during the Gulf War. There has been suggestion that long-term effects of GWI could be due to epigenetic mechanisms that are in play. There has been limited published research conducted on epigenetic mechanisms in GWI. The present study aimed to identify …

Mitochondria On The Move: Studying The Effect Of Motor Protein Knockdown On Calcium-Mediated Spermathecal Contractions, Yara Nathalie Rincon

Theses & ETDs

Caenorhabditis elegans are ~1 mm long transparent worms producing as many as 1,200 progeny when fertilized by males. To achieve such impressive numbers, C. elegans must have a highly efficient reproductive system. The C. elegans spermatheca is a tube made up of smooth muscle tissue in which fertilization of oocytes occurs. Entrance of the egg initiates a stretch-sensitive signaling pathway, resulting in the release of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum and contraction of the spermatheca. Because mitochondria play a role in the modulation of Ca2+ in regions (microdomains) of high Ca2+ concentration, the ramifications of knocking down genes that are …

Stress, Sashay Away: Examining Stress Resilience In Dancers, Mackenzie Browning

Theses & ETDs

As humans continue to push ourselves in new ways to overcome the challenges and demands that the modern world throws at us, methods of managing our stress responses become increasingly important. In the current study, dance is explored as a viable option for stress management, as tested through resilience to stress. Three groups of people were evaluated based on their habitual sedentary, dance, and exercise habits. The stress responses of these three groups were measured through the Perceived Stress Scale, the State Trait Anxiety Inventory, and salivary cortisol (a hormone often associated with the stress response) samples before and after …

The Blade Of Witchcraft: The Construction Of Evil As The Flawed Occam’S Razor Of Feminine Spirituality In The Middle Ages, Conner Nicole Cherniak

Theses & ETDs

Upon discovering the medieval text, Malleus Maleficarum , a witchcraft treatise written by Heinrich Kramer in 1485, I found that a witch is not characterized by broomstick-flying or concoction-brewing. The methodology Kramer utilizes for his witch hunt mirrors the new inquisitional structure of the sacrament of confession introduced at the Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1215, which came to be utilized in the early Christian church to keep heresy in check by monitoring church-goers’ devotion to God. What the Malleus Maleficarum revealed to me about witches and their “craft” lies in the necessary nature of the witch as an …

Sanitized Diversity: Race And Family On Disney Channel In The Early 2000s, Keaton Hughes

Theses & ETDs

The Disney Corporation has long been a major player in US, and in many cases global, cultural narratives. This thesis examines episodes of four Disney Channel original series from the early 2000s. Two, Even Stevens and Lizzie McGuire, center on white families, while the other two, The Proud Family and That’s So Raven, center on black families. At the dawn of the new millennium, many Americans imagined racism as a thoroughly 20th century phenomenon. Nevertheless, academic and residential spaces, like those portrayed on the Disney Channel, have historically been shaped by and continue to perpetuate systemic racism in the United …

Classical Realism: Dithering Between Realism And Idealism, James Von Hollen

Theses & ETDs

Classical Realism: Dithering between Realism and Idealism is a series of charcoal figure drawings that blend Realism with 19th century French Academicism. Charles Bargue’s Drawing Course —a teaching staple of the French Academicism—is represented by two reproductions of his drawings and a caste of the antique statuary from which his students draw. Each figure drawing seeks a vital, characterful middle ground between classical idealization and likeness to a live model. In conversation with philosophers Jean-Paul Sartre and Gilles Deleuze, Classical Realism argues that figure drawings of this kind offer greater insight into the model’s subjecthood.

Effects Of Abrasion On Sponges (Phylum Porifera) From Sarasota Bay, Nicolas Charles Webley

Theses & ETDs

Sponges are a critical component of ocean communities and play a major role in recycling nutrients. Not only do they reduce waste on their ecosystems, but sponges also serve as shelters, nurseries, and prey to an array of ocean organisms. Coral are dying off at an alarming rate, and marine animals that depend on them suffer because of it. Sponges may prove to be a possible replacement for coral communities since they too serve as community builders. It is important to understand how sponges respond to different stresses as to prevent them from meeting a similar fate as their reef …

Back To The Future Of Education: A Summer Camp To Improve Science Literacy In Elementary Students., Jessica Reckmeyer

Theses & ETDs

The ocean makes up more than seventy percent of the Earth’s surface and has effects on every habitat on the planet. The ocean is also greatly affected by terrestrial life. Because of this codependence, the protection of marine ecosystems is very important. This is a marine science and conservation summer camp curriculum designed to improve science literacy in elementary school children. It was created with a cacophony of educational theories in mind, but especially those of the Progressive Movement and of Montessori to help keep the children engage with the material as well as provide more effective learning strategies. The …

A Path To A Happy Life: Andean Cultural Preservation And Quechua Identity Construction In The Sacred Valley, Walker Hull Fleming

Theses & ETDs

My thesis project consists of a written ethnography, accompanied by a short ethnographic film, about a group of indigenous Andean families from Pisac, Peru. This community identifies as Runakuna, the indigenous Quechua speaking peoples native to the Andes, and is significant because, for more than twenty years, these families have engaged in grassroots cultural work to preserve their indigenous worldview and ancestral heritage. I engage in an ethnographic analysis of two of this community’s cultural preservation projects: the Kusi Kawsay Andean School, and the Kusi Ñan Organic Farm. I focus on the effects of these projects, as well as the …

“Your Body Must Be Heard”: Explorations Of Feminine Writing In Three Works Of Experimental Feminist Literature, Katia Diamon-Sagias

Theses & ETDs

This thesis explores feminine writing, or écriture féminine, through the analysis of three experimental works of feminine literature: Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector, Book of Promethea by Helene Cixous, and Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson. I posit that feminine writing can be a productive lens for analyzing these and other works, while these works in turn provide a “way in” to thinking about feminine writing. I begin by outlining the important qualities of feminine writing as a “process” of both writing and reading. My first chapter focuses in Lispector’s Hour of the Star, which follows the …

Increases In Soil Salinity Affect The Efficiency Of A Thigmonastic Response In Mimosa Pudica, Gabriel Joachim

Theses & ETDs

Mimosa pudica (L.) utilizes a thigmonastic movement as a response to external stimuli. This response to mechanical perturbance if exposed repeatedly, results in a response reflective of habituation in animals. Recent research suggests this behavior in Mimosa pudica may be the primary defense against herbivory. The purpose of the current research is to determine if thigmonastic responses in plants like Mimosa pudica are influenced by changes in ecological variables like salinity, light, and temperature. Data were collected in the Summer of 2017 at the University of Louisville Kentucky. Plants were exposed to varying levels of soil salinity and exposed to …

From Overtown To Rosemary: Exploring Race And Space Through Oral Histories Of Sarasota’S First African American District, William Cooney

Theses & ETDs

This thesis is concerned with the development of the Rosemary District in Sarasota, also known as Historic Overtown. As a way of investigating the history of Overtown, namely the Black migration to Newtown and the ensuing gentrification, I conducted nine oral histories with local social activists who have ties to the neighborhood. I also analyzed historic and contemporary aerial photos to understand the spatial dimensions of Newtown’s segregation. Both forms of data are preceded by a theoretical framing and a background history of Sarasota to provide context. They are followed by a discussion of the intersection of race and space, …

More Than Just A River Of Grass: A Scientific And Artistic Exploration Into The Florida Everglades, Olivia Forero

Theses & ETDs

The Anthropocene is an epoch marked by undeniable human influence. Alterations to climatic and environmental processes threaten worldwide biodiversity and ecosystem functionality. Highlighting the unique ecology and beauty of an ecosystem in peril as a result of anthropogenic destruction, invasive species and climate change, this work foregrounds the fragility and importance of the Florida Everglades through ecological inquiry and artistic practice. Using NatureServe’s Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI), I evaluated climate change sensitivities for three endangered species within the Everglades system; the Florida Bonneted Bat (Eumpos floridanus), the Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus), and the Manchineel Tree (Hippomane manchinella). Based …

A Social-Ecological Sustainability Analysis Of Sarasota Food Forests, Kaylynn Elizabeth Low

Theses & ETDs

This thesis draws upon previous research in ecological sustainability and social sustainability to implement a framework that incorporates both aspects when determining the long-term viability of a green space; specifically food forests. Principles of civic ecology and agroecology were drawn upon to develop this framework. Ecological sustainability was quantified using data collected from inventorying the foundational species of local food forests, which for this research was fruiting trees. For the purpose of this research, the term “tree” was broadened to include woody, fruiting plants. The trees were measured in terms of their health, productivity, and abundance within the established boundaries …

Living With/In Disaster: Interpreting Heritage Through Performance In The Time Of Climate Change, Rachel Lyn Ceciro

Theses & ETDs

This thesis examines the function of an ecological theater as a method of heritage interpretation through research and practice. My first chapter explores definitions of memory, heritage, and interpretation, detailing what a successful interpretive project looks like. I then go on to define what constitutes a production of ecotheater by detailing its goals of coalescing the divide of nature and culture, encouraging performances to center the more-than-human world rather than focusing on exclusively human stories. The chapter concludes with examining the 2016-17 production of Bear by the Unreliable Bestiary, exhibiting how a piece of ecotheater uses interpretive tools to achieve …

Soil Carbon Sequestration Potential For Two Species Of South Florida Lawn Trees, Zach Zildjian

Theses & ETDs

Soil carbon could be considered one of the most important resources that no one really talks about. Not only is this huge pool of carbon directly related to the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere, but it is also vital for agricultural productivity as well as soil health and function in general. The flux of carbon in and out of the soil has always been large, but recently human land use changes have caused more carbon to be released from the soil than is replaced. Planting trees is seen as one of the ways to mitigate this issue because of …

Urban Infrastructure And Environmental Interaction In Late Medieval And Tudor Period England, Adilyne Mckinlay

Theses & ETDs

The motivation for this research is to investigate the historical development of the nature-culture divide, an anthropological concept that identifies tension between the ideas of nature and culture and seeks to understand where on the scale between autonomy and interaction the two operate. This study analyzes the divide in late medieval and Tudor period England (1250-1600) through the lens of urban infrastructure in order to add to literature concerned with human-environmental interaction and thinking. Using documents from lay culture, such as ordinances, building contracts, financial accounts, and wills, as evidence, this study demonstrates that Englishmen during this period were clearly …

How Far Does A Whistle Travel? The Estimated Active Space Of Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) Whistle Harmonics In Sarasota Bay, Florida, Christianna St. John Dewind

Theses & ETDs

Dolphins produce frequency-modulated whistles with harmonic components, and these harmonics may have important implications for providing directional cues to other dolphins about a whistler's position. This study measured the active space- how far the whistles travel- of the harmonics of dolphin whistles in Sarasota Bay, FL, using an underwater transducer to play four different dolphin whistles (10-30 kHz). A hydrophone received the signals at fixed distances at three different depths (.46 m., .91 m., and 1.37 m.), up to 240 m from the speaker to measure received levels of all harmonics across different contexts. It was found that the active …

Sexuality Salience, Mood Disturbance, And Physiological Stress Response As A Function Of Sexual Orientation, Emma Barbato

Theses & ETDs

This thesis served to explore the impact of sexuality salience, or awareness, on heterosexual, bisexual, gay, lesbian, and queer individuals’ levels of mood disturbance and physiological stress. Participants provided Time 1 (baseline) and Time 2 (post-test) responses to the abridged Profile of Mood States Questionnaire and gave Time 1 and Time 2 saliva samples. Between Time 1 and Time 2, participants engaged in a free-response style survey wherein they were encouraged to think deeply about their feelings toward their own sexual orientation and the ways through which they believe society perceives their sexual orientation. The results indicate that sexual minority …

An Observational Study Of Feather Damaging Disorder In Blue And Gold Macaws (Ara Ararauna), Codee Vogler

Theses & ETDs

Feather damaging disorder is a grooming disorder where damage a bird inflicts damage on its own plumage by over preening, manipulating feathers with the beak, breaking feathers, or plucking them from the body. It is considered to be a condition of captivity and its etiology has been widely discussed, and in many cases, is unable to be identified due to the multifactorial nature of the disorder. It is a common concern among parrot owners, and is frequently seen in avian veterinary medicine. The present study investigated the differences in oral and locomotive observable behavior in blue and gold macaws, Ara …

The Past, Present And Future Of The Surgical Treatment Of Head Injuries, Connie J. Miranda

Theses & ETDs

Head injuries can vary from a minor concussion to a gunshot wound. Every year, many patients die from injuries to the brain, while the survivors often become disabled. The aim of this review is to discuss the evolution of the surgical intervention for head injuries throughout the ages, as well as the currently available surgical treatments, in order to explore the past, present and future of neurosurgery. Head injuries have been treated medically for thousands of years, and treatment has followed a constant evolution from ancient times all the way through the 21st century. Celsus, Paul of Aegina and Berengario …

Dostoevsky And The Problem Of Microcosm Bakhtin, “Bobok” And “The Dream Of A Ridiculous Man”, Michael Pulsifer

Theses & ETDs

In Problems of Dostoevsky’s Poetics, Mikhail Bakhtin singles out Dostoevsky’s short story “Bobok” as “almost a microcosm of his entire creative output” (144). Following this, Bakhtin writes that the short story “The Dream of a Ridiculous Man” is “practically a complete encyclopedia of Dostoevsky’s most important themes” (150). In this thesis, I argue that these stories present two sides of a contending ideological coin in Dostoevsky: i.e. the idea that “everything is permitted,” which “Bobok” depicts, and the idea of “responsibility for all,” as encapsulated by “The Dream of a Ridiculous Man.” Furthermore, I read these stories as concrete and …

Permeability Changes And Effect Of Chemotherapy In Brain Adjacent To Tumor In An Experimental Model Of Metastatic Brain Tumor From Breast Cancer, Afroz S. Mohammad, Chris E. Adkins, Neal Shah, Rawaa Aljammal, Jessica I. G. Griffith, Rachel M. Tallman, Katherine L. Jarrell, Paul R. Lockman

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Abstract

Background: Brain tumor vasculature can be significantly compromised and leakier than that of normal brain blood vessels. Little is known if there are vascular permeability alterations in the brain adjacent to tumor (BAT). Changes in BAT permeability may also lead to increased drug permeation in the BAT, which may exert toxicity on cells of the central nervous system. Herein, we studied permeation changes in BAT using quantitative fluorescent microscopy and autoradiography, while the effect of chemotherapy within the BAT region was determined by staining for activated astrocytes.

Methods: Human metastatic breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231Br) were injected into left ventricle …