American Studies Commons^™

Melville’S Unknown Pathology: The Humoral Theory Of Disease And Low Grade Lead Poisoning In Bartleby The Scrivener, Gerard Bogin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Melville wrote Bartleby the Scrivener as a literary portrayal of the Humoral theory of disease. Virchow disproved that theory five years after the novella was published, suggesting Melville was humanizing an unknown pathology. A clinical assessment of the text reveals low-grade lead poisoning, which best explains the strange behavior, abnormal appearance, and premature death of the character Bartleby as depicted by the author. In conjunction with the textual substantiation, historical evidence indicates that at the time Melville wrote the work, one in ten people he encountered suffered from the effects of the same disease. Informed with the identity of Melville’s …

Statistical Analysis And Modeling Of Breast Cancer And Lung Cancer, Chunling Cong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the present study is to investigate various problems associate with breast cancer and lung cancer patients. In this study, we compare the effectiveness of breast cancer treatments using decision tree analysis and come to the conclusion that although certain treatment shows overall effectiveness over the others, physicians or doctors should discretionally give different treatment to breast cancer patients based on their characteristics. Reoccurrence time of breast caner patients who receive different treatments are compared in an overall sense, histology type is also taken into consideration. To further understand the relation between relapse time and other variables, statistical …

An Assessment Of Microevolutionary Change Among Prehistoric Florida Populations Through The Analysis Of Craniometric Data, Samantha M. Seasons

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The analysis of craniometric data collected from skeletal remains, combined with

archaeological data, can provide very valuable information pertaining to biological

distance and gene flow among prehistoric populations through space and time. The goal

of this study was to examine microevolutionary change among prehistoric populations in

south Florida based on the degree of cranial variation among populations at seven

prehistoric sites. It was expected that as time progressed, microevolutionary forces

caused significant changes in the crania of the various populations based on the relative

geographic proximity of the sites and the temporal distance between sites.

A Microscribe 3-DX digitizer was …

Towards Understanding Water Conservation Behavior In Southwest Florida: The Role Of Cultural Models, Bernard T. (Terry) Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This applied anthropology dissertation aims to enhance public policy and best practices for conserving potable water resources, using the Tampa Bay region of southwest Florida as a case study. It addresses not how humans conserve, but why they may or may not choose to do so. To date, a limited anthropological focus on water conservation behavior in western, urban settings has created a gap in the role culture plays in understanding why people conserve. The research problem is to identify how water conservation behavior in Tampa, Florida can be enhanced through a better understanding of beliefs and values reflected in …

Antarctic Tunicates And Endophytic Fungi: Chemical Investigation And Synthesis, Matthew D. Lebar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Drug discovery is reliant on new developments in natural product chemistry as well as advances in chemical synthesis. The interconnectivity and interdependence of natural and synthetic investigation in drug discovery is evident. The chemical exploration reported herein elaborates the relationship between natural product chemistry and chemical synthesis. Of particular interest are chemicals from organisms residing in less accessible environments, particularly Antarctica and endophytic microbial communities. Degradation via reductive ozonolysis of palmerolide A, a macrocyclic polyketide isolated from the Antarctic tunicate

Synoicum adareanum, and subsequent synthetic preparation of the resulting polyols (1,2,6-hexanetriol and 1,2,3,6-hexanetetraol) led to a revision in the …

Migration, Education, And Health Policy: A Closer Look Into The Reasons Behind Poor Health Outcomes In Rural Ecuador, Lauren Harris

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite an increase in the number of Ecuadorian medical professionals, health outcomes in rural areas of the country have steadily declined over the past decade. Using a political economic framework and data collected from interviews with Ecuadorian doctors, government officials, policy makers, and local rural populations, this thesis investigates how the interplay among medical migration, educational structures, and public health policy contributes to growing health disparities between urban and rural dwellers. Addressing each of these factors both individually and collectively, this thesis also outlines a series of policy recommendations that will allow the Ecuadorian healthcare system to better meet the …

An Exploration Of Synchronous Communication In An Online Preservice Esol Course: Community Of Inquiry Perspective, Aylin Tekiner Tolu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Based on a collaborative and socio-constructivist approach to online education, the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model emphasizes creating an effective learning environment where students feel a connection with other learners and the instructor and engage in well-designed collaborative learning activities.

Following a naturalistic methodology, this qualitative case study investigated the use of synchronous communication for creating a community of inquiry and student satisfaction in an online ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) endorsement course for preservice teachers. Elluminate Live was used for class meetings while an instant messenger, Gmail Chat served the needs for impromptu interactions between a student and …

Assessment Of “Community Stepping Stones,” A Community-Based Youth Art Education Program, Jennifer E. A. Pedraza

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Community Stepping Stones is an art education program whose objective is to

“provide education, mentor children and adolescents, enhance the community

economics, and enrich the quality of life in the community” (Community Steppping

Stones [CSS], 2009a). Community art education programs, particularly for youth, have

become increasingly popular as a way to address and prevent delinquent behavior.

However, art education programs have proven challenging to evaluate and sustain.

The goal of my thesis was to explore how Community Stepping Stones

implemented and evaluated a community-based youth arts education program

compared to other, similar programs and how the organization could make the …

Teacher Attitudes, Perceived Influences, And Self-Reported Classroom Behaviors Related To School Nutrition Environments, Beverly Lawler Girard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study determined attitudes of kindergarten through fifth grade teachers about school nutrition environments, their perceived influence on school nutrition environments, and self-reported classroom behaviors. Specific objectives were to: (a) identify perceived factors that influence the school nutrition environment, according to teachers surveyed; (b) examine relationships between elementary school teacher attitudes about school nutrition environments and perceived influence on the environment; (c) examine relationships between elementary school teachers’ attitudes about school nutrition environments, and self-reported classroom behaviors; (d) examine relationships between perceived influence over the school nutrition environment and self-reported classroom behaviors; and, (e) examine relationships between teachers’ demographic characteristics …

Angiostatic Regulators In Ovarian Cancer, Christina Diane Drenberg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Angiogenesis by either normal or neoplastic cells involves a delicate balance of both angiogenic and angiostatic regulators. In the ovary, normal physiological angiogenesis occurs around the developing follicle and corpus luteum in response to hormonal shifts. Interestingly, carcinomas arising from the ovary are usually highly vascularized and are commonly clinically observed to produce cyst fluids or ascites which contain both angiostatic and/or angiogenic regulators. However, in contrast to normal angiogenesis, angiogenesis associated with epithelial ovarian cancer usually produces aberrant vasculature that may promote neoplastic progression. Therefore, the ovary and ovarian cancers provide models to study the mechanisms governing the strict …

School Counselor Accountability Practices: A National Study, Cindy M. Topdemir

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on school counselor accountability practices. The role of the

school counselor is changing and the need to be more accountable is now here. This study

attempted to answer several critical questions regarding school counselor accountability.

It examined the degree to which school counselors use accountability measures, to what

extent they believed certain accountability practices were deemed helpful to their school

counseling program, and what they believed their barriers were. Accountability is a “hot”

topic in present school counseling literature; but little research has been done up to this

point investigating these issues related to school counselor accountability …

Nautical Knowledge: An Experimental Analysis Of The Influence Of Public Relations Strategies In Safe Boating Communication, Emily N. Guilfoil

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the effect of public relations message strategies on beliefs,attitudes, and behavioral intentions of individuals regarding boater safety. An experiment was conducted using seven safety messages. Specifically, Fishbein and Ajzen’s (1975) theory of reasoned action and J.E. Grunig’s (1997) situational theory of publics were used to examine the communication effects of message strategies proposed by Hazleton and Long’s (1988) public relations process model.The findings of this study support the predictions of the theory of reasoned action—that salient beliefs predict attitude toward behavior and attitude toward behavior and subjective norm predict behavioral intent. Of the three attitude items measured—attitude …

Developing A Culturally Responsive Literacy Pedagogy: Preservice Teachers, Teaching Cases, And Postcard Narratives, Annmarie Alberton Gunn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The results of the U. S Census provide evidence that our population is becoming more varied and that diversity is most salient in our schools. This demographic shift will continue to have a significant impact on the curriculum, students, teachers, and other aspects of education as we have historically known it. One of the most challenging aspect is that while our students are becoming more diverse, our teacher population is not. Eighty to ninety percent of the teaching population is White, heterosexual, middle class females, with little experiences with people from diverse backgrounds. (Lowenstein, 2009; Sleeter, 2001).

The academic achievement …

Optical Design Of Beam Shaping Optics For Camera Probe And Led Light Illumination Used For Minimally Invasive Abdominal Surgery, Weiyi He

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The optical design of a LED illuminator and camera imaging system were studied for potential use in a small medical "robotic type" probe to be used for minimally invasive abdominal surgery. Beam shaping optical reflectors were studied to increase the intensity distribution of the LED beam directed toward a close-by target surface. A CMOS/CCD camera and lens was used to image the targeted area. In addition, extensive optical ray tracing simulations were made to predict the intensity patterns. The experimental measurements and ray tracing simulations were in good agreement, and indicated that 20 degree cone reflectors for the LED sources …

The Ports Of Tampa And Hamburg And The Qualitative Impacts On Their Communities, Gerhard Becker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study researches the past, present and future role of ports, specifically the Ports of Tampa and Hamburg linked to their cities. It examines the legal structures of port authorities which play a major role in their economic priorities and impact their cities’ social, environmental and cultural quality of life. From a humanistic perspective, one can look at a port as a place or space. By animating ports, they may provide “ fields of care” over time, and a home with character for the region’s residents. In this case, their success needs to transcend economics, adding qualitative attributes to the …

Adolf Hitler – America’S First Black President And Other Oval Office Demons: The Right-Wing Rhetorical Assault On Barack Obama’S Health Care Plan, Daniel Ruth

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis endeavors to examine the imagery and rhetoric surrounding the portrayal of President Barack Obama during the national debate over health care reform from the summer of 2009 into the spring of 2010. It is argued that the critics of the health care reform legislation used images to portray the president as Adolf Hitler, Che Guevara, The Joker, as well as other images such as the swastika and the Wehrmacht symbol as stand-in euphemisms for race to discredit Barack Obama.

A number of exemplar images have been selected from various websites and publications specifically addressing the portrayal of Barack …

Multi-Elemental Chemical Analysis Of Anthropogenic Soils As A Tool For Examining Spatial Use Patterns At Prehispanic Palmarejo, Northwest Honduras, Kara A. Rothenberg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Plazas and patios were important spaces for expressing power and social identity in prehispanic Mesoamerica. However, plazas can be analytically problematic, because they were often kept clean of material debris. Previous geoarchaeological studies of anthropogenic soils and sediments have shown that specific activities leave characteristic chemical signatures on prepared earthen surfaces. The research presented here uses soil chemical residue analysis and excavation data to examine use patterns in the North Plaza of Palmarejo, Honduras during the Late Classic period. The goal is to determine whether the plaza was used for residential or ceremonial purposes. The chemical results indicate that activities …

Perceptions Of The Roles, Professional Development, Challenges, And Frustrations Of High School Principals, Stephen J. Knobl Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the current perceptions of high school principals regarding their perceived roles, professional development experiences that impacted their careers, and the challenges and frustrations they face when enacting their roles as high school leaders. This qualitative study investigated perceptions of high school principals and addressed three research questions: (1) What are the perceptions of high school principals regarding their role as school leaders? (2) What professional development experiences do high school principals report are most important in impacting their careers? (3) What do high school principals perceive are their greatest challenges and frustrations? …

An Analysis Of U.S. Policies Targeting The Iranian Nuclear Program, Bryan T. Hamilton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Iran’s nuclear program continues to present a major challenge to U.S. policy. At the core of this challenge is one fundamental question: Is Iran attempting to build a nuclear weapon? Objective analysis reveals that Iran’s dependence on oil and natural gas provides sufficient economic merit for Iran to pursue a peaceful nuclear program; without nuclear power to meet rising domestic energy needs, Iran’s economy will suffer. Though the economic justification is valid, the security of Iran and the survival of its regime are overarching; acts of foreign interference in Iran’s affairs have fueled the regime’s quest for a nuclear weapon. …

Microbial Influences On Karst Dissolution: The Geochemical Perspective, With A Chapter On Assessment Of The Spreadsheets Across The Curriculum Project, Dorien Kymberly Mcgee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microbes are prevalent in geologic settings and a growing body of research suggests the roles they play in geologic processes may be more important than previously thought, and therefore underestimated. This dissertation addresses the influence of microbes on the dissolution of limestone in karst settings by analyzing the stable carbon isotopes and geochemistry of air and waters from three unique cave and karst settings: West-Central Florida, the Everglades (southern Florida) and The Bahamas. In Florida, these parameters as well as air/water temperature, rainfall, and water-level fluctuations were monitored for 22 and 10 months. In the Bahamas, geochemical data were collected …

Contextualizing Obesity Among Latino Farmworkers: A Critical Analysis Of Structural And Cultural Processes Affecting Farmworker Health And Nutrition In Central Florida, Melissa H. Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Migrant and seasonal farmworkers play a critical role in the U.S. economy, producing food for the American public, while their suffering is often rendered invisible by their existence on the margins of society. The low wages associated with farm labor combined with the largely undocumented status of this population severely limits access to food, housing, and health care, resulting in poor health outcomes. Through the use of a critical anthropological approach, this research examines the social, cultural, political, and economic context of obesity among Latino migrant and seasonal farmworkers in Central Florida. Ethnographic research methods were used to explore perceptions …

A Retrospective Analysis Of The Potential Environmental Stressors Responsible For The Decline Of The Natural Populations Of The Florida Apple Snail (Pomacea Paludosa) In The A.R.M. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Shannon Ladd

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to determine the factors that contributed to the decline of Florida apple snail (Pomacea paludosa) populations in the A.R.M. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge with the goal of devising management recommendations to the Refuge regarding population management strategies. The factors examined that could have potentially contributed to population decline include the use of copper-based herbicides, insecticide application, the occurrence of drought, the use of other herbicides, the occurrence of fire, and non-avian predation. Annual Narrative documents produced by Refuge managers and staff members, dated from 1951 to 2007, were used to collect historical data for …

System For Identifying Plankton From The Sipper Instrument Platform, Kurt A. Kramer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Plankton imaging systems such as SIPPER produce a large quantity of data in the form of plankton images from a variety of classes. A system known as PICES was developed to quickly extract, classify and manage the millions of images produced from a single one-week research cruise. A new fast technique for parameter tuning and feature selection for Support Vector Machines using Wrappers was created. This technique allows for faster feature selection, while at the same time maintaining and sometimes improving classification accuracy. It also gives the user greater flexibility in the management of class contents in existing training libraries. …

Optimal Discrete-In-Time Inventory Control Of A Single Deteriorating Product With Partial Backlogging, Yang Tan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The implicit assumption in conventional inventory models is that the stored

products maintain the same utility forever, i.e., they can be stored for an infinite period of

time without losing their value or characteristics. However, generally speaking, almost all

products experience some sort of deterioration over time. Some products have very small

deterioration rates, and henceforth the effect of such deterioration can be neglected.

Some products may be subject to significant rates of deterioration. Fruits, vegetables,

drugs, alcohol and radioactive materials are examples that can experience significant

deterioration during storage. Therefore the effect of deterioration must be explicitly taken

into …

Comparison Of Risky Decision Making Processes In Dyads And Individuals, Moumita Mukherjee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The thesis compared the likelihood of taking risks in dyads and individuals in

varying situations. Patterns of risky decision making were examined in the standard risky

choice task and a novel risk management task. The relative successes of two theories of

risky decision making were assessed: Prospect Theory emphasizes perceptual and

psychophysical processes, whereas Security-Potential/Aspiration Level Theory

emphasizes dispositional and motivational processes. The thesis also examined dyads’

decision behavior in light of competing social influence perspectives regarding risky

versus cautious shifts and group polarization.

Participants, as individuals or as part of a dyad, made decisions in 23 trials about

hypothetical …

Finite Element Analysis Of Thermoelectric Systems With Applications In Self Assembly And Haptics, Patrick T. Mcknight

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Micro-scale self assembly is an attractive method for manufacturing sub-millimeter sized thermoelectric device parts. Challenges controlling assembly yield rates, however, have caused research to find novel ways to implement the process while still resulting in a working device. While a typical system uses single n-type and p-type material elements in series, one method used to increase the probability of a working device involves adding redundant parallel elements in clusters. The drawback to this technique is that thermal performance is affected in clusters which have missing elements. While one-dimensional modeling sufficiently describes overall performance in terms of average junction temperatures and …

Plasma Mediated Molecular Delivery, Richard J. Connolly

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Non-viral delivery of plasmid DNA has traditionally relied upon physical forces applied directly to target tissues. These physical methods typically involve contact between an applicator and the target tissue and often cause transient patient discomfort. To overcome the contact-dependent limitations of such delivery methodologies, an atmospheric direct current plasma source was developed to deposit ionized gas molecules onto localized treatment sites. The deposition of charged species onto a treatment site can lead to the establishment of an electric field with strengths similar to those used for traditional electroporation. In vitro experiments proved that this technology could transiently permeabilize cell membranes …

Modeling And Predicting Taxi Times At Airports, Arjun Chauhan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research aims at providing methods in analyzing and estimating the taxi times of aircraft at airports, which are expected to be an important element for reducing taxiing delay and consequent excess fuel consumption and environmental costs. The proposed model involves a set of regression equations to model the taxi-out and taxi-in times at airports. The estimated results can be used to calculate the nominal taxi times, which are essential measures for evaluating the taxiing delays at airports. Given the outcomes of the regression model, an iterative algorithm is developed to predict taxi times. A case study at LGA shows …

More Than Bows And Arrows: Subversion And Double-Consciousness In Native American Storytelling, Anastacia M. Schulhoff

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

W. E. B. Du Bois‘ legendary reflections on the ―peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one‘s self through the eyes of others‖ has been applied almost exclusively to the souls of African American people (Du Bois 1903). This thesis shows how the concept of double-consciousness is alive in the stories told by Native Americans. I draw upon data from two websites that have recorded the stories told by ―exemplary indigenous elders, historians, storytellers and song carriers‖ and their oral traditions that serve the ―purpose of cultural preservation, education, and race reconciliation‖ (Wisdom of the Elders, 2009). …

Characterization Of The Esterification Reaction In High Free Fatty Acid Oils, Lucas Eli Porter Altic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Energy and vegetable oil prices have caused many biodiesel producers to turn to waste cooking oils as feedstocks. These oils contain high levels of free fatty acids (FFAs) which make them difficult or impossible to convert to biodiesel by conventional production methods. Esterification is required for ultra-high FFA feedstocks such as Brown Grease. In addition, ultrasonic irradiation has the potential to improve the kinetics of the esterification reaction. 2-level, multi-factor DOE experiments were conducted to characterize the esterification reaction in ultra-high FFA oils as well as determine whether ultrasonic irradiation gives any benefit besides energy input. The study determined that …