Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Nanoindentation Of Layered Materials With A Nonhomogeneous Interface, Praveen K. Chalasani

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Indentation is used as a technique for mechanical characterization of materials for a long time. In the last few decades, new techniques of mechanical characterization at micro and nano level using indentation have been developed. Mechanical character-ization of thin films has become an important area of research because of their crucial role in modern technological applications. Theoretical and computational models of indentation are less time consuming,cost effective, and flexible. Many researchers have investigated mechanical properties of thin films using theoretical and computational models. In this study, an indentation model for a thin layer-substrate geometry with the possibility of nonhomogeneous or …

Postcolonial Herstory: The Novels Of Assia Djebar (Algeria) And Oksana Zabuzhko (Ukraine): A Comparative Analysis, Oksana Lutsyshyna

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work is a comparative analysis of the works of the Ukrainian author Oksana Zabuzhko (Field Work in Ukrainian Sex) and the Algerian writer Assia Djebar (Women of Algiers in Their Apartment). Although the lives of Algerian and Ukrainian women were shaped by different historical and social forces, discourses and traditions, common themes exist in their writings because of their common postcolonial background. Both authors examine the relations of women to history in the postcolonial setting, the problem of inscribing women into history, and the double oppression women experienced during colonial times (as colonized subjects and as gendered subjects).

One …

Post-Charley Evaluation Of Undamaged Homes In Punta Gorda Isles, Virgilet Pierrissaint

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hurricane Charley was the third named storm and the second major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. At that time, it was also the strongest hurricane to strike the US coast since 1992. Charley made landfall on Friday, August 13, 2004 on the barrier islands off Lee County, Florida whence it moved rapidly inland towards Port Charlotte, DeSoto and Hardee counties.

The purpose of this study was to understand the performance of undamaged residential home in Punta Gorda Isles (PGI) in Port Charlotte County that was crossed by Charley’s eye shortly after it made landfall. To achieve this goal, …

A Damage Assessment And Wind Loading Analysis Of Residential Structures Built Post-1996 In Punta Gorda In The Wake Of Hurricane Charley, James Newberry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the communities in the path of Hurricane Charley as it came ashore

August 13, 2004, was Punta Gorda, recording gusts up to 145 mph. This project

utilizes aerial photos taken approximately 10 days after the storm battered the

area, using a digital photography program. Focusing on the one-story residential

structures (houses) of the Punta Gorda area, a damage assessment could be

made of the area’s homes, and how they stood up to the storm. This study

focused further on homes built after major changes to the local/state building

codes went into effect (starting in 1996) after the devastation …

Coastal Processes And Anthropogenic Factors Influencing The Geomorphic Evolution Of Weedon Island, Florida, Jeanne Lambert

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Weedon Island, a peninsula located on the western inner shoreline of Tampa Bay, Florida, is the location of a collaborative geological and archaeological project that aims to relate the present day geomorphology to natural processes and human occupational activity during the middle to late Holocene. The area is known for extensive archaeological sites, which were originally investigated in the 1920s, although they have received relatively little scientific attention during most of the last century. We hypothesize that activities associated with pre-historic human occupation of Weedon Island at various times during the last ca. 5,000 years influenced the geomorphic evolution of …

A Platform For Research On Localization And Tracking Using Wireless Sensor Networks, Sai Kiran Rupanagudi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research proposed the integration of wireless sensor networks, a mobile platform and a fixed station for the development of a test bed system to conduct research on localization, tracking, navigation and network mapping. The overall integrated system acts as a basis for future research on localization of wireless nodes in an indoor environment. The system enables the transfer of information from the sensor node on the platform to a distant computer through wireless communication. In addition, a robotic platform is proposed that uses the developed integrated system as well as other potential applications. The user interface to the system …

Optimizing Biofuel Cell Performance Using A Targeted Mixed Mediator Combination, Jason C. Klar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A study of how mediators interact with the catabolic pathways of microbes was undertaken with a view towards improving the performance of microbial fuel cells. The use of mediators is known to improve the power density in microbial fuel cells, but this work suggests that no single mediator is ideally suited to the task. Instead, a carefully selected mixture of two targeted mediators (Methylene Blue and Neutral Red) might be optimal. To test this hypothesis, a yeast-catalyzed microbial fuel cell was built and empirically evaluated under different mediation conditions while keeping all other parameters constant. The results clearly show that …

The Feasibility Of Establishing A Telecenter In An Urban Corridor: A Case Study Of The Sr 836/Dolphin Expressway Corridor In Miami, Florida, Anurag Komanduri

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Telecenters are alternate work locations and are used as a means to reduce the commute discomfort to employees. Telecenters provide advantages to both the employees and the employers and are a good Travel Demand Management measure. The history of telecenters is relatively new. Many telecenters were established in the early 1990's with the support of the Federal and State Governments. While initial signs were encouraging, the inability of these telecenters to carry on running in the absence of continued funding made them cost intensive unsuccessful experiments. There have been fewer attempts by private individuals/ Governments to work with the concept …

Tracking Fluid Flow In A Spinning Disk Reactor, Valentina N. Korzhova

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The flow of a liquid film over a rapidly rotating horizontal disk has many applications inmedical, industrial, and engineering fields. A specific example is the heat and mass transfer processes between expanded liquid and surrounded dense gas. Diferent wave regimes of a liquid film depend on a flow conditions such as the properties of a liquid, its initial speed,parameters of environment, etc. Therefore, experimental investigation of the film flow over a spinning disk is needed to both validate theoretical predictions and establish methods for fluid flow monitoring.This thesis presents novel video-based algorithms for detection and tracking wave structural data of …

Prototype And Testing Of A Mems Microcooler Based On Magnetocaloric Effect, Simone L. Ghirlanda

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis documents the work and research effort on the design, fabrication and testing of a magnetocaloric MEMS microcooler, focusing on the testing of the microcooler at low magnetic fields. The phenomenon of magnetocaloric effect (MCE), or adiabatic temperature change, which is obtained by heating or cooling magnetic materials due to a varying magnetic field, can be exploited in the area of magnetic refrigeration as a reliable, energy-efficient cooling system. In particular, its applications are being explored primarily in cryogenic technologies as a viable process for the liquefaction of hydrogen. The challenge for magnetic refrigeration is that the necessary MCE …

Palladium Doped Nano Porous Silicon To Enhance Hydrogen Sensing, Kevin Luongo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A mass manufacturable impedance based, palladium doped porous silicon sensor, was fabricated for hydrogen detection. The sensor was built using electrochemical etching to produce mesoporous silicon. Four nanometers of palladium was defused directly into the porous silicon and another four nanometers of Pd was deposited on the defused surface to enhance sensing. The sensor was tested in a sealed chamber in which the impedance was measured while hydrogen in nitrogen was ranged from 0-2 percent. Unlike conventional hydrogen sensors this sensor responded at room temperature to changes in hydrogen concentration. The electrical impedance response due to adsorption and desorption of …

Displaced Self And Sense Of Belonging: A Chinese Researcher Studying Chinese Expatriates Working In The United States, Zhong (June) Wang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I tell the story of the ethnographic fieldwork I conducted between 1997 and 2005 in which I focused on a group of expatriates sent by one of China's largest multinational corporations to work in the U.S. for extended years. My initial interest was to investigate how this Chinese state-owned multinational company operated its overseas subsidiaries in the U.S. However, as my fieldwork progressed, I became increasingly interested in how the expatriates' and their family members' careers and lives were impacted by globalization, how these Chinese expatriates and family members adjusted, adapted, understood, and tolerated cultural differences inside …

Ranking-Based Methods For Gene Selection In Microarray Data, Li Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

DNA microarrays have been used for the purpose of monitoring expression levels of thousands of genes simultaneously and identifying those genes that are differentially expressed. One of the major goals of microarray data analysis is the detection of differentially expressed genes across two kinds of tissue samples or samples obtained under two experimental conditions. A large number of gene detection methods have been developed and most of them are based on statistical analysis. However the statistical analysis methods have the limitations due to the small sample size and unknown distribution and error structure of microarray data. In this thesis, a …

Towards The Realization Of Cognitive Radio: Coexistence Of Ultrawideband And Narrowband Systems, Mustafa Emin Şahin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ultrawideband and cognitive radio are two of the most important approaches that are shaping the future of wireless communication systems. At a first glance, the aims of UWB and cognitive radio do not seem to be overlapping significantly, however, there is a strong synergy between the capabilities of UWB and the goals of cognitive radio. One of the objectives of this thesis is to shed the first light on the marriage of these two important approaches.Ultrawideband (UWB) is a promising technology for future short-range, high-data rate wireless communication networks. Along with its exciting features including achieving high data rates, low …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Type Ii Silicon And Germanium Clathrates, Matthew K. Beekman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Clathrate materials comprise compounds in which guest atoms or molecules can be encapsulated inside atomic cages formed by host framework polyhedra. The unique relationship that exists between the guest species and its host results in a wide range of physical phenomena, and offers the ability to study the physics of structure-property relationships in crystalline solids. Clathrates are actively being investigated in fields such as thermoelectrics, superconductivity, optoelectronics, and photovoltaics among others. The structural subset known as type II clathrates have been studied far less than other clathrates, and this forms the impetus for the present work. In particular, the known …

Assessing Human-Environmental Impacts On Colorado's 14,000- Foot Mountains, Jon J. Kedrowski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on documenting and analyzing the factors that affect mountain climbing in the state of Colorado and assessing the potential environmental impacts caused by the growing number of climbers visiting the Fourteeners—the 58 mountain peaks located within the Rocky Mountains exceeding an elevation of 14,000 feet. Key objectives were to: 1. identify factors that have a significant effect on mountain climbing frequency; 2. collect information from physical trail and route evaluation to develop an interim classification index; 3. combine relevant variables to formulate a composite Fourteeners Environmental Degradation Index (FEDI) and use it to evaluate, rank, and compare …

How U.S. Audiences View Korean Films: A Case Study Of Oldboy, Sung Taik Cha

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior studies have shown that the information and cultural product flow is dominantly one direction from large/wealthy markets to smaller markets. Extending this position through the underlying research, it is expected that the audiences in the United States, one of the largest cultural product exporters, may have shaped certain perceptions on the scarcity of Korean films in their domestic film market. By studying the users in an internet film discussion community, this research aims to provide useful ideas about how American audiences perceive Korean films. This qualitative case study conducted a content analysis of the actual postings by the participants …

Genetic Algorithm Based Two-Dimensional And Three-Dimensional Floorplanning For Vlsi Asics, Pradeep R. Fernando

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dramatic improvements in circuit integration technologies have resulted in a huge increase in the complexity of circuits that can be fabricated on a single integrated circuit(IC). The significance of the performance and reliability issues of interconnects has increased greatly demanding radically different solutions such a Three-Dimensional ICs are an elegant solution to the interconnect and device density issues in the current and future technology generations as they provide an additional dimension for packing the devices. This results in a direct reduction in the chip package area and the total wiring required to complete all the interconnections. More importantly, the number …

Bel-Imperia: The (Early) Modern Woman In Thomas Kyd’S Spanish Tragedy, Ann Mccauley Basso

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

At the heart of Thomas Kyd's revenge tragedy The Spanish Tragedy lies an arranged marriage around which all of the other action revolves. Bel-Imperia of Spain has been betrothed against her will to Prince Balthazar of Portugal, but she is no ordinary woman, and she has plans of her own. Bel-Imperia's unwillingness to participate in the arranged marriage is indicative of the rise of the companionate marriage; it represents a rejection of the arranged marriage that dominated upper class society in earlier years.

This study seeks to throw light upon early modern attitudes towards marriage, focusing particularly on the arranged …

Intelligent Design And Evolutionary Theory: Legal Battles And Classroom Relevance For School Leadership, Larry R. Plank

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Evolutionary theory in the scientific curricula of public education has been scrutinized by religious societies for the better part of a century around the globe. Although Darwin’s explanation of the mechanism of evolution—the process of natural selection—is widely accepted by scientists in the United States and other industrialized nations, the U.S. has lagged behind these other countries in accepting evolutionary theory in public school curricula. The debate of what to include in textbooks and classroom lessons is one of America’s most controversial issues. The creationist worldview of life’s origins has been incorporated into science curriculum as a direct challenge to …

The Effect Of Computer-Delivered Phonological Awareness Training On The Early Literacy Skills Of Students Identified As At-Risk For Reading Failure, Deanne Gale

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined the effects of two computer-delivered phonological awareness training programs (Earobics Step 1 and Lexia Early Reading) on the early literacy skills of kindergarten and first grade students at risk for reading failure. The study utilized a multi-group pretest-treatment-posttest design. Student participants, who were identified for the study through a school-wide screening, were randomly assigned to one of three groups (i.e., Earobics, Lexia Early Reading, or control), and their progress was monitored throughout a five-week intervention period. Results using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to examine differences in adjusted mean post-test scores indicated that the Earobics program …

Stress, Coping, And Their Prediction Of Mental Health Outcomes In International Baccalaureate High School Students, Robin B. Hardesty

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the mental health of high school students enrolled in the International Baccalaureate (IB) High School Diploma Program (n =139) in a large, southeastern high school. Mental health was assessed using both positive indicators (life satisfaction, academic achievement, academic self-efficacy) and negative indicators (psychopathology) indicators of adolescent social-emotional and school functioning. Findings from this study include that IB students perceive more stress than their general education peers, yet maintain mental health that is equivalent or superior to that of their general education peers. The role of coping in predicting mental health outcomes in IB students was also investigated. …

Blood Lead Concentrations In The Cat Population Of Tampa, Florida, Liesl M. Wiesen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Where lead pollutes urban soils, both human and animals risk exposure. This exposure gives rise to similar health risks across species. A group of 50 outdoor living cats from inner city Tampa, Florida were tested for blood lead concentration (BLC). Most cats had no measurable lead loads, 14 percent had levels less than or equal to 6 micrograms per decaliter. Soil samples were taken from the home location of each cat. None of these samples, which ranged from 2.6 microgram per gram to 170 micrograms per gram, had hazardous levels of lead. Overall, BLCs were lower than expected. In addition, …

A Modular Onboard Processing System For Small Unmanned Vehicles, Richard D. Garcia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work describes the design and implementation of a generic lightweight onboard processing system for miniature Unmanned Vehicles (UVs) that is computationally powerful and highly adaptable. First, several classical approaches to giant scale and full size UV onboard processing systems are described along with their corresponding limitations. Second, a detailed study is presented that describes the key characteristics of an onboard system along with associated limitations. Next, an implementation of a generic onboard system capable of vision processing and servo based control is presented along with detailed hardware specifications and implementation software. Last, experimental data, both laboratory and field, are …

Altered States Of Reality: The Theme Of Twinning In David Lynch's Lost Highway, Alan Edward Green Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As a postmodern director, David Lynch makes films which are innovative, evocative, and uniquely his own. The theme of twinning, in particular, is recapitulated throughout the director's oeuvre; however, it is with Lost Highway that the thematic element he addresses takes center stage. The film's main character Fred Madison (Bill Pullman) is unable to cope with the trauma in his life. After killing his wife and finding himself on death row, he has a parallel identity crisis; he manages a metamorphosis into a younger, virile Pete Dayton (Balthazar Getty). The method which allows this transformation is the psychogenic fugue: a …

Sub-Centennial Scale Climatic And Hydrologic Variability In The Gulf Of Mexico During The Early Holocene, Jenna Meredith Lodico

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sediment core MD02-2550 from Orca Basin located in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) provides a high-resolution early Holocene record of climatic and hydrologic changes from ~10.5 to 7 thousand calendar years before present (ka). Paired analyses of Mg/Ca and δ18O on the planktonic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber (white variety, 250-355 µm) sampled at ~ 20 year resolution were used to generate proxy records of sea surface temperature (SST) and the δ18O of seawater in the GOM (δ18OGOM). The Mg/Ca-SST record contains an overall ~1.5 °C warming trend from 10.5 to 7 ka that appears to track the intensity of the …

Path Dependencies And Unintended Consequences: A Case Study Of Britain's Entry Into The European Community, Justin P. Schrefer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In order to determine how Britain’s governance and sovereignty have changed since 1950, I developed a historical case study tracing Britain’s political and economic integration into the E.U. starting from the early post-World War II governments through the end of the Thatcher administration. This study uses Historical Institutionalism, which seeks to explain how changes in governance and state sovereignty come about outside of state control, as a ‘testing’ theory to determine whether Britain’s governance and sovereignty have changed since 1950. The hypothesis of this case study is: Did the past decisions on E.C. integration, made by Britain’s government officials and …

A New Type Of Insurgency? A Case Study Of The Resistance In Iraq, Stephen D. Curtas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Insurgency is considered to be the principal form of conflict in the world today. Since the end of WWII, large-scale conventional war between states has been minimal. In Iraq, a band of insurgents are attempting to defy the strongest power in the world. This insurgency in Iraq may be the beginning of a new phenomenon of insurgency conflict.

This thesis argues that the Iraqi insurgency has no center of gravity, with no clear apparent leader or leadership. As seen in other examples of insurgency throughout history, no leadership has emerged in response to any of the conditions present in Iraq. …

New Visions Of Community In Contemporary American Fiction: Tan, Kingsolver, Castillo, Morrison., Magali Michael

Faculty Books

In this engaging, optimistic close reading of five late twentieth-century novels by American women, Magali Cornier Michael illuminates the ways in which their authors engage with ideas of communal activism, common commitment, and social transformation. The fictions she examines imagine coalition building as a means of moving toward new forms of nonhierarchical justice; for ethnic cultures that, as a result of racist attitudes, have not been assimilated, power with each other rather than power over each other is a collective goal.Michael argues that much contemporary American fiction by women offers models of care and nurturing that move away from the …

What Are We Tripping On?: Transgressing The Fault Lines In Research On The Preparation Of Multicultural Educators, Carl A. Grant, Vonzell Agosto

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Faculty Publications

How do we prepare multicultural educators? The purpose of the chapter is to discuss some of the research in multicultural teacher education that speaks to, and in doing so, participates in the life of this enduring problem. In what direction might other rationales and lines of inquiry lead the research in multicultural teacher education.