Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Mirrors, Wolves And Tornadoes-Oh My! An Intertextual Exploration Of Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, Pamela Painter Decius

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I argue that Guillermo Del Toro is a modern day storyteller, writing his film script as Ovid, The Grimms, or even Baum would pen their tales. I expand the idea of intertextuality to include not only conversations, thoughts, architecture, emotions, bodily activity, sounds, and innumerable other signifiers, but also analyzing the film "inter-imagically." By considering the film in this way it encourages a world conversation that can influence socio-political transformations in our world.

I use the stories and images in myth, fairy tale and children's literature to support the importance of agency, agency in regard to finding your own voice, …

Sedimentological Characteristics And 3-D Internal Architecture Of Washover Deposits From Hurricanes Frances, Ivan, And Jeanne, Mark H. Horwitz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Extensive overwash occurred along Florida's Atlantic and northern Gulf facing barrier islands during the passages of Hurricanes Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne in 2004. These high-energy storm events provided a unique opportunity to study the spatial depositional patterns and internal sedimentary architecture of fresh washover deposits resulting from inundation to collision regime overwash events. Sedimentological characteristics and 3-D internal architecture of the washover deposits were studied through coring, trenching, sediment analysis, ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys, and pre- and post-storm aerial photography and LiDAR topographic survey data.

The cross-shore extent of washover deposition is controlled by sediment supply, accommodation space, and …

A Field Quasi-Experiment Of The Effects Of Employee Input In The Development Of Performance Appraisal Systems, Dan Ispas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of employee input in the development stage of a new performance appraisal system on their attitudes and work behaviors. A field quasi-experiment with pre-test and post-test measures was conducted in two plants of an organization. The results, consistent with the hypotheses, show that the employees in the experimental plant report higher proximal (satisfaction with the performance appraisal system, procedural justice of the performance appraisal system) and distal (organizational satisfaction, fairness of the organization and citizenship behaviors) outcomes. Also, the proximal outcomes were stronger than the distal ones. Implications for theory …

Electromagnetic Modes In Cylindrical Structures, Jakub Pritz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nanostructures have received much attention from the physical and engineering communities in the past few years. The understanding of the behavior of nanostructures in various conditions is warranted since the applications of such materials in optics, electronics, and mechanics is ever expanding. This thesis investigates a specific type of structure, a concentric cylindrical. More specifically, the dispersion relation of radiating and non-radiating plasmon polaritons (quasi-particles resulting from interactions of photons and surface electrons) is studied under varying conditions. We intend to show the influence of changing the thickness of the layers, the number of layers, the curvature of each layer, …

The Role Of Abiotic And Biotic Factors In Suspension Feeding Mechanics Of Xenopus Tadpoles, William G. Ryerson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As a comparison to the suction feeding mechanics in aquatic environments, I investigated buccal pumping in an ontogenetic series of suspension feeding Xenopus laevis tadpoles (4-18 mm snout-vent length) by examining the morphology, kinematics, fluid flow, pressure generated in the buccal cavity, and effects of viscosity manipulation. Investigation of the dimensions of the feeding apparatus of Xenopus revealed that the feeding muscles exhibited strong negative allometry, indicating that larger tadpoles had relatively smaller muscles, while the mechanical advantage of those muscles did not change across the size range examined. Buccal volume and head width also exhibited negative allometry: smaller tadpoles …

Peirce On The Passions: The Role Of Instinct, Emotion, And Sentiment In Inquiry And Action, Robert J. Beeson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the least explored areas of C.S. Peirce's wide range of work is his contributions to psychology and the philosophy of mind. This dissertation examines the corpus of this work, especially as it relates to the subjects of mind, habit, instinct, sentiment, emotion, perception, consciousness, cognition, and community. The argument is that Peirce's contributions to these areas of investigation were both highly original and heavily influenced by the main intellectual currents of his time.

An effort has been made to present Peirce's philosophy without apology, within the conceptual framework and idiom of its time, and without appeal to a …

Prostate Cancer Screening Intention Among African American Men: An Instrument Development Study, Susan Anita Baker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among African American men, and African American men have the highest incidence of prostate cancer in the world. Limited studies have been conducted that address this critical issue. Existing literature reveals that the primary cause of increased mortality rates of prostate cancer in African American men is lack of participation in prostate cancer screening activities. The purpose of this three-phase study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to measure prostate cancer screening intention among African American men. …

Ocean Literacy And Reasoning About Ocean Issues: The Influence Of Content, Experience And Morality, Teresa Greely

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ocean issues with conceptual ties to science and a global society have captured the attention, imagination, and concern of an international audience. Climate change, over fishing, marine pollution, freshwater shortages and alternative energy sources are a few ocean issues highlighted in our media and casual conversations. From the life-giving rain that nourishes crops and our bodies, to life-saving medicines; from the fish that come from the ocean, to the goods that are transported on the sea's surface-the ocean plays a role in our life in some way every day (NOAA, 1998). However, a disconnect exists between what scientists know and …

“This Isn’T Like Diphtheria, You Know?”: The Sociocultural Context Of Human Papillomavirus Immunization, Potential Mandates, And Narratives Of Risk Among, Hannah Louise Helmy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many in the biomedical community have praised the recently released Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Gardasil, for having the potential to significantly reduce the disease burden of cervical cancer and genital warts. However, complex intersections of ideology, morality, and politics have made this new vaccine considerably contested, particularly as public debate has turned to the ethics of state-mandated HPV vaccination for 11-12 year old girls. Subsequently, the extent to which mandatory vaccinations are accepted by parents and implications regarding the infringement of these coercive measures on their rights to make health care decisions for their children has become powerfully positioned in …

Determining Fort Walton Burial Patterns And Their Relationship Within The Greater Mississippian, Gabrielle Shahramfar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of my research was to compile all known burial data from the Fort Walton culture located in northwest Florida (A.D. 1000 to contact) to determine any patterns in burial practices. A thorough literature review of all published material was conducted to obtain the burial data. I also reviewed burial practices of other contemporaneous late prehistoric cultures in the Southeast, including the Pensacola and Rood cultures. The burial data clearly indicate that Fort Walton burial practices varied greatly; 14 different burial types were identified from all of the sites. A similar pattern is seen among Pensacola, Rood and Mississippian …

Historical Archaeology Research Designs For Gamble Plantation, Ellenton, Florida, Felicia Bianca Silpa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a research design that will serve as a baseline for further research and as a more inclusive interpretation at the Judah P. Benjamin Memorial at the Gamble Plantation Historic State Park in Ellenton, Florida. It reviews the history and archaeology of Robert Gamble's nineteenth-century enslaved labor-worked sugar plantation, focusing on how the demands of this capitalistic enterprise were expressed in the plantation's culture and on the landscape. This thesis reviews the literature on the archaeology of slavery in the United States and the Caribbean to provide a critical lens through which new directions in research might be …

Can Waters Around Durney Key, Pasco County, Florida, Support Coral Recruitment To Artificial Substrates?, Kelley L. Anderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To determine whether an artificial reef installation is feasible, there must be a thorough characterization of the habitat. An understanding of both small-scale and large-scale environmental processes is needed to determine factors that potentially will influence the reef. Large-scale processes include coastal circulation, wave climate, and sediment dynamics that take place over spatial scales of tens to hundreds of kilometers in the region of the reef. Small-scale processes include the physical characteristics in the immediate vicinity of the reef - the local current, wave and tide characteristics, temperature, salinity, and suspended and bottom sediments at a proposed reef site.

The …

Analysis Of Current Flows In Electrical Networks For Error-Tolerant Graph Matching, Alejandro Gutierrez Munoz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Information contained in chemical compounds, fingerprint databases, social networks, and interactions between websites all have one thing in common: they can be represented as graphs. The need to analyze, compare, and classify graph datasets has become more evident over the last decade. The graph isomorphism problem is known to belong to the NP class, and the subgraph isomorphism problem is known to be an NP-complete problem. Several error-tolerant graph matching techniques have been developed during the last two decades in order to overcome the computational complexity associated with these problems. Some of these techniques rely upon similarity measures based on …

School As A Center For Community: Establishing Neighborhood Identity Through Public Space And Educational Facility, Fred Goykhman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

“Safety is an opportunity for people to open their minds” -Jin Baek, 2008

For my thesis I will design an education facility. That education facility will strive to meet with today's security needs and will provide a safe-feeling place for growth. In identifying the problem, I found two main causes for the described conditions in today's schools. They are improper adaptation and uniform building type.

Improper adaptation has to do with surface applications, rather than integrating with the social fabric of the school's communal requirements. Unfortunate incidents have caused the solutions to heightened security around schools to be fortressing and …

Cancer Patients With Pain: Examination Of The Role Of The Spouse/Partner Relationship In Mediating Quality Of Life Outcomes For The Couple, Mary Ann Morgan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A diagnosis of cancer, regardless of type or site, raises much fear and loss of control for patients and their spouses. While being married is associated with lower mortality from a wide range of illnesses, including cancer, the quality of marital interactions and the relationship is the stronger predictor of health outcomes, rather than marital status. When people are faced with their greatest life challenges, they attach great importance to the behavior of their intimate partner, with trust being a key component of relationship quality, thus lending stability, and emotional and practical support. The purpose of this study was to …

Florida Expressways And The Public Works Career Of Congressman William C. Cramer, Justin C. Whitney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since the introduction of automobiles to Florida in the 1900s, highways have been integral to the state's economy. In the 1950s, statewide limited-access highway projects were introduced in the form of a state-operated turnpike and the national Interstate highway system. This paper traces the simultaneous development of both expressway systems, outlining the previous condition of Florida's highways, the initiatives taken by Florida's governors, and especially the role of William C. Cramer of St. Petersburg, Florida's first Republican United States Congressman since Reconstruction.

In the House of Representatives, as a ranking member of the Roads Subcommittee of the Public Works Committee, …

Involvement Of 5-Ht2a Receptor In The Regulation Of Hippocampal-Dependent Learning And Neurogenesis, Briony J. Catlow

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Aberrations in brain serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission have been implicated in psychiatric disorders including anxiety, depression and deficits in learning and memory. Many of these disorders are treated with drugs which promote the availability of 5-HT in the synapse. Selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are known to stimulate the production of new neurons in the hippocampus (HPC) by increasing synaptic concentration of serotonin (5-HT). However, it is not clear which of the 5-HT receptors are involved in behavioral improvements and enhanced neurogenesis. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of 5HT_2A agonists psilocybin and 251-NBMeO and the 5HT_{2A/C …}

Novel Nanoindentation-Based Techniques For Mems And Microfluidics Applications, Ke Du

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, the mechanical characterization of thin films, bulk materials, compliant MEMS and Microfluidics has been discussed. In chapter1 and chapter 2, the Indentation Size Effect (ISE) has been studied for single crystal aluminum and the substrate effect has also been studied for 200 nm gold film on mica substrate and 50 nm gold film on (100) silicon wafer substrate. The mechanical characterization of super hard SiC films (prepared by CVD) has also been discussed.

In chapter 3, the actuation of compliant MEMS devices with a nanoindentation apparatus has been investigated. Friction forces become important at the device level, …

Monocytes As Gene Therapy Vectors For The Treatment Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Lori Ann Lebson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The accumulation of amyloid-ß; protein (Aß) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a well known pathological event. Decreasing the production or increasing the degradation of Aß; is therefore thought to serve as a potential therapeutic intervention in AD. Recent in vitro and in vivo studies have suggested that certain proteases may be involved in the catabolism of Aß; and defects in the degradation of Aß; could contribute to AD disease progression. Studies implicating the homing of monocytes to regions of CNS damage have led to the idea that it may be possible to use genetically modified monocytes to carry exogenous genes …

Crack Patterns In Thin Films And X-Ray Optics Thermal Deformations, Grygoriy A. Kravchenko

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Thin films and multilayers are widely used in many applications, ranging from X-ray optics to microelectronic devices. In service, the X-ray optics elements are exposed to the X-ray beam, which heats up the structure resulting in the thermal deformations, and consequently in distortions of the reflective surface. In addition, the excessive heating may activate interdiffusion in the multilayers coatings and result in degradation of their reflective performance and even film cracking. Therefore, analysis of the thermally-induced deformations and stresses in the X-ray optical elements is important.

The presented work is organized in two major parts. The first part examines formation …

Modeling Upper Body Kinematics While Using A Transradial Prosthesis, Derek J. Lura

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The prostheses used by the majority of persons with upper limb amputations today offer a limited range of motion. Relative to anatomical joints transradial (below the elbow) prosthesis users lose at least two of the three degrees of freedom provided by the wrist and forearm. Some myoeletric prostheses currently allow for forearm pronation and supination (rotation about an axis parallel to the forearm) and the operation of a powered prosthetic hand. Body-powered prostheses, incorporating hooks and other cable driven terminal devices, have even fewer active degrees of freedom. In order to perform activities of daily living, an amputee must use …

Contradictions In A Distance Content-Based English As A Foreign Language Course: Activity Theoretical Perspective, Irshat Madyarov

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores six English as a foreign language students in an English content-based course of critical thinking delivered via distance at the Bahá'í Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) in Iran. Framed within cultural-historical activity theory, the study seeks to shed light on the complex nature of students' course-related activities with a particular focus on contradictions that underlie any human activity. The construct of contradictions provides a theoretical lens to understand the complex web of relationships among a number of elements in the course taking activity situated in a cultural-historical setting beset with political controversies, technological challenges, and demands of …

Design And Testing Of A Lightweight Modular Seven-Degree-Of-Freedom Robot Arm For Mobile Use, Peter J. Schrock

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Wheelchair-bound individuals who have limited or no upper-limb usage have difficulty with picking and placing of objects, opening doors, and other activities of daily living (ADLs), such as turning on a light switch or drinking from a cup. A wheelchair-mounted robot arm (WMRA) would aid individuals with completing ADLs and increase their independence, therefore an improved WMRA has been designed. Building upon previous WMRA research and incorporating research from industrial robot arms, carbon fiber tubing is the main component for the structure of the arm, a novel development for WMRAs. Factors that go into WMRA design include weight, speed, safety, …

Cobalt(Ii)-Catalyzed Atom/Group Transfer Reactions: Stereoselective Carbene And Nitrene Transfer Reactions, Joshua V. Ruppel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Metalloporphyrins have been shown to catalyze many fundamental and practically important chemical transformations, some of which represent the first demonstrations of these catalytic processes. The most notable examples include an assortment of atom/group transfer reactions, such as oxene, nitrene, and carbene transfers. Atom/group transfer reactions allow for the direct conversion of abundant and inexpensive alkenes and alkanes into value-added functional molecules. Previous reports from our group have shown that cobalt-porphyrin based carbene and nitrene transfer reactions are some of the most selective and practical catalytic systems developed for cyclopropanation and aziridination. Backed by a family of D₂-symmetric chiral …

Effects Of Age And Hearing Loss On Perception Of Dynamic Speech Cues, Mei-Wa Tam Szeto

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Older listeners, both with and without hearing loss, often complain of difficulty understanding conversational speech. One reason for such difficulty may be a decreased ability to process the rapid changes in intensity, frequency, or temporal information that serve to differentiate speech sounds. Two important cues for the identification of stop consonants are the duration of the interruption of airflow (i.e., closure duration) and rapid spectral changes following the release of closure.

Many researchers have shown that age and hearing loss affect a listener's cue weighting strategies and trading relationship between spectral and temporal cues. The study of trading relationships between …

The Biomechanics And Evolution Of Shark Teeth, Lisa Beth Whitenack

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Measuring the effects of morphology on performance, and performance on fitness, is necessary to gain a full picture of selection, adaptation, ecology, and evolution. The performance of an organism's feeding apparatus, of which teeth are an integral part, has obvious implications for its fitness and survival. Extant shark teeth encompass a wide variety of shapes, and are often ascribed qualitative functions without any biomechanical testing, employing terminology such as gripping, piercing, crushing, cutting, or tearing. Additionally, teeth also comprise the vast majority of the fossil record of sharks. Therefore to understand the evolution of the shark feeding mechanism, we must …

Blank Power: The Social And Political Criticism Of Blank Fiction And Cinema, Ashley Minix Donnelly

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores a style of literature known as "blank" fiction that became popular in the United States in the mid-1980s, focusing on its stark, limited form, its minimal plots, its focus on commodification, and its scenes of graphic violence. The author presents the argument that filmmakers were producing pieces of cinema during the same time period that are similar in both form and content to the works of blank fiction. These films are a part of a style she labels "blank" cinema.

Blank fiction and cinema are politically charged and highly critical of the social and political situation in …