American Studies Commons^™

Expanding The Science Of Successful Aging: Older Adults Living In Continuing Care Retirement Communities (Ccrcs), Kathryn H. Petrossi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rowe and Kahns theory of successful aging identifies three main components of aging successfully: reducing the risk of disease and disability, maintaining high cognitive and physical function, and engagement with life. While there is compelling evidence that suggests the legitimacy of this concept in the 50-75 year old community dwelling population, three areas of expansion are necessary: 1.) programmatic research; 2.) extending the existing research samples to include older samples and those living in continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs); and 3.) the integration of data collection and analysis to move beyond investigation of just one successful aging outcome to include …

Changes In The Perception And Sense Of Self Of Individuals With Aphasia: An Ethnographic Study, Erline Vieira Nakano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about the perceived changes in identity and sense of self in individuals with aphasia. Seminal research using qualitative methods and personal narratives has been conducted in England regarding the experience of living with aphasia (see for instance Parr, Byng, Gilpin & Ireland, 1999; Parr, Duchan & Pound, 2003; Byng, Pound & Hewitt, 2004), but the use of such methodologies is still emergent in the United States. In addition, despite the great achievements of the disabilities movement in countries such as the U.S. and the U.K., individuals with aphasia have remained largely at the margins due to the …

Tardigrade Evolution And Ecology, Phillip Brent Nichols

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A character data set suitable for cladistic analysis of tardigrades at the family level was developed. The data matrix consisted of 50 morphological characters from 15 families of tardigrades and was analyzed by maximum parsimony. Kinorhynchs, loriciferans and gastrotrichs were used as outgroups. The results agree with the currently accepted hypothesis that Eutardigrada and Heterotardigrada are distinct monophyletic groups. Among the eutardigrades, Eoyhypsibiidae was found to be a sister group to Macrobiotidae + Hypsibiidae, while Milnesiidae was the basal eutardigrade family. The basal heterotardigrade family was found to be Oreellidae. Echiniscoideans grouped with some traditional Arthrotardigrada (Renaudarctidae, Coronarctidae + Batillipedidae) …

A Quantitative Assessment Of Public Relations Practitioners’ Perceptions Of Their Relationship With The Organization They Represent, Jill Boudreaux

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study attempts to identify how public relations practitioner roles and organizational decision-making style impact the relationship that is shared between the practitioner and the organization they represent. Based on Internet survey research methods, research findings indicated that organizational decision-making style was a minimal factor in influencing the relationship shared between the practitioner and the organization they represent. Practitioner role did, however, have a significant influence on the levels of trust, commitment, satisfaction and control mutuality between the practitioner and the organization they represent. Low response rates prevents confident generalization of the results of this study to the entire Public …

Sigma Receptors Modulation Of Voltage-Gated Ion Channels In Rat Autonomic Neurons, Hongling Zhang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sigma receptors have been implicated in the regulation of the cardiovascular system. Some of the cardiovascular effects of sigma receptors may be through the modulation of autonomic neurons. Studies on the expression and cellular function of sigma receptors in autonomic neurons were conducted in neonatal rat intracardiac (ICG) and superior cervical ganglia (SCG).

Individual neurons from SCG and ICG were shown to express transcripts encoding the sigma-1 receptor. The effects of sigma receptors activation on high-voltage-activated Ca²⁺ channels was studied in isolated neurons of these ganglia. Bath application of sigma receptor agonists depressed peak calcium channel currents in a …

Wavelet-Based Monitoring And Analysis Of Cardiorespiratory Response To Hypoxia, Vuslat Nazilli

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Obstructive sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening condition characterized by repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction that occur during sleep, usually associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation. In US population, 9% of women, 24% of men, and 2% of children have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, suggesting that 18 million people may suffer from the consequences of nightly episodes of apnea. One of the most significant symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea is profound and repeated hypoxia. The analysis of the interaction between cardiovascular and respiratory signals has been a widely-explored area of research due to the significance …

Where The Students Do The Grading: A Content Analysis Of Ratemyprofessors.Com, Mlisa A. Manning

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

"I would have been better off using the tuition money to heat my apartment last winter."

"Three of my friends got As in his class and my friends are dumb."

"The movies are so bad, even he has to leave the room."

These are just a few of the "Funny Ratings" from a page on RateMyProfessors.com, a web site dedicated to providing information to students so they may make a difference in (their) education (http://www.RateMyProfessors.com/ faq.jsp). The online evaluations differ in origin, use and content from traditional teaching evaluations as they are the result of a virtual atmosphere …

Preservice Teachers’ Belief Development While Learning To Teach Writing In An Elementary Writing Methods Course, Karen S. Kelley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My study examined the belief development of three preservice teachers as they learned to teach writing in a one-semester elementary writing methods course. I also sought to identify significant episodes that contributed to the preservice teachers’ belief development. Two questions guided my inquiry: How do preservice teachers’ beliefs about writing and the teaching of writing develop while enrolled in an elementary writing methods course? and What episodes do preservice teachers, who are enrolled in an elementary writing methods course, view as significant in helping them negotiate their beliefs about writing and writing instruction? I collected survey data, conducted a series …

Stimulation Of Nitrification By Carbon Dioxide In Lab-Scale Activated Sludge Reactors, Lina Posso-Blandon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are required to remove ammonium (NH₄⁺) from wastewater due to its oxygen demand and toxicity to the aquatic organisms. Ammonium is removed in the activated sludge treatment system by nitrification and denitrification processes. Nitrification is the oxidation of NH₄⁺ to nitrate (NO₃^-) by autotrophic nitrifying bacteria which use carbon dioxide (CO₂) as a carbon source for growth. These bacteria grow slowly with low nitrification rates limiting WWTPs capacity. In this research it was hypothesized that supplying higher concentrations of CO₂ during aeration increases nitrification rates, …

Fibonacci Vectors, Ena Salter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

By the n-th Fibonacci (respectively Lucas) vector of length m, we mean the vector whose components are the n-th through (n+m-1)-st Fibonacci (respectively Lucas) numbers. For arbitrary m, we express the dot product of any two Fibonacci vectors, any two Lucas vectors, and any Fibonacci vector and any Lucas vector in terms of the Fibonacci and Lucas numbers. We use these formulas to deduce a number of identities involving the Fibonacci and Lucas numbers.

Investigation Of Geometrical Effects On Microneedle Geometry For Transdermal Applications, Smitha Shetty

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hollow biocompatible microneedle arrays were designed and fabricated using two different bulk micromachining techniques-Deep Reactive Ion Etching and Coherent Porous Silicon technology to investigate their reliability for transdermal applications. An in-house experimental setup was developed for microneedle fracture and split thickness penetration force measurements. Out of plane needle array configurations (100and#956;m needle length) with intra array geometric variations including needle shape, diameter, intra-array pitch and density (1a 625) were characterized on cadaver skin to predict skin barrier penetration without fracture. Use of microneedle array as transdermal patch necessitates reliable penetration and not just pushing against stratum corneum like a bed …

Material Properties And Volumetric Porosity Of Biomaterials For Use In Hard Tissue Replacement, Christopher G. Papangelou

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Metal implants are a type of hard tissue replacement currently used. Metals used for implants include: stainless steel, titanium, chrome, and cobalt alloys. Such implants often fail at the interface with bone. Metal implants fail when the surface of the implant is coated with an osteoconductive material. An osteoconductive material provides scaffolding for cellular migration, cellular attachment, and cellular distribution. A reason for metal implant failure could be the vastly different material properties than bone. Motivation for the research was to find a suitable bone substitute other than metal. Materials considered were: zirconia toughened alumina, carbon fiber reinforced epoxy, and …

A Framework To Develop An Interactive Web Database For Delivery Of Water Resources Field Data Over The Internet, Swarna Pujari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the research is to develop a user friendly framework for an internet GIS (Geographic Information Systems) application. The study aims at providing a map with GIS capabilities without requiring the clients (users of the website) having to install ArcGIS (a product of ESRI) software on their personal computers along with the facility to download hydrological data. It also aims at providing a methodology to synthesize data in case of data gaps. High resolution data was collected in a small watershed in west Central Florida to measure hydrologic storages and fluxes during 2001-2004. Meteorological, surface and groundwater data …

Multibeam Observations Of Mine Scour And Burial Near Clearwater, Florida, Including A Test Of The Vims 2d Mine Burial Model, Monica L. Wolfson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ability to detect buried mines on the seafloor remains one of the most important tasks in mine countermeasures. As such, there is a vested interest in the development of predictive models of mine burial. This research was conducted in support of the Office of Naval Research Program in Mine Burial Prediction. Repeat high-resolution multibeam bathymetry data were collected over the Indian Rocks Beach (IRB) mine burial experiment site during January through March of 2003, in order to observe in situ scour and burial of instrumented inert mines and mine-like cylinders. These data were also used to test the validity …

Probability Theory On Semihypergroups, Norbert Youmbi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Motivated by the work of Hognas and Mukherjea on semigroups,we study semihypergroups, which are structures closer to semigroups than hypergroups in the sense that they do not require an identity or an involution. Dunkl[Du73] calls them hypergroups (without involution), and Jewett[Je75] calls them semiconvos. A semihypergroup does not assume any algebraic operation on itself. To generalize results from semigroups to semihypergroups, we first put together the fundamental algebraic concept a semihypergroup inherits from its measure algebra. Among other things, we define the Rees convolution product, and prove that if X; Y are non-empty sets and H is a hypergroup, then …

Cloning, Expression, And Sequence Analysis Of Camelysin, A Zinc Metalloprotease From Bacillus Anthracis And B. Cereus, Andrew Ross Myers

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bacillus anthracis and B. cereus are well known etiological agents, which cause disease in healthy and immunocompromised individuals. Considering the abundance and lethality of these organisms it is imperative that research is performed to identify and analyze new factors that may contribute to their pathogenicity. Camelysin is a membrane bound, zinc metalloprotease isolated from B. cereus. Assays performed on purified camelysin demonstrate that the protease exhibits fibrinolytic, collagenolytic, and actin degradation activity, any of which can contribute to the organisms ability to invade host tissues and cause damage. Considering the putative role of camelysin in pathogenicity, it would be …

The Effects Of Labyrinthula Sp. Infection, Salinity, And Light On The Production Of Phenolic Compounds In Thalassia Testudinum, Jennifer M. Sneed

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the fall of 1987, several areas of Florida Bay were severely affected by the sudden die-off of the seagrass Thalassia testudinum Banks ex Konig (turtle grass). Although the cause is still unknown, several factors were suggested as influencing the on-set of the die-off event including increased salinity, light stress due to self-shading, and disease. Blades of seagrass plants found in the area of die-off were infected by Labyrinthula sp, a pathogenic protist. A similar die-off occurred in another species of seagrass, Zostera marina, in the 1930s that was attributed to the pathogenic protist, Labyrinthula zosterae. Zostera …

Dose Time Response Modeling Of Neurobehavioral Screening Data: Application Of Physiologically Relevant Parameters To Allow For Dose Dependent Time Of Peak Effects, Michael Raymond Wessel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In collaboration with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the University of South Florida Health Risk Methodology Group has developed dose-time-response models to characterize neurobehavioral response to chemical exposure. The application of dose-time-response models to neurobehavioral screening tests on laboratory animals allows for benchmark dose estimation to establish exposure limits in environmental risk assessment. This thesis has advanced dose-time-response modeling by generalizing a published toxico diffusion model to allow for dose dependent time of peak effects. To accomplish this, a biphasic model was developed which adopted the effect compartment model paradigm used in pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics to estimate a distributional rate …

Reconstructing Writer Identities, Student Identities, Teacher Identities, And Gender Identities: Chinese Graduate Students In America, Peiling Zhao

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The increasing presence of Chinese international graduate students in American higher education has mandated a closer examination of their multifaceted lives against stereotypes that hinder their efforts to find, transform, or assert their identities in the dominant discourses of American academia and culture.

Cross cultural studies of Chinese international students tend to reinforce stereotypes of their writer identities, learner identities, and teacher identities. Examining these various identities discloses dichotomies that read Chinese students’ traits and behaviors as handicaps and thus characterize them as “abnormal” in relation to the “normal” traits and behaviors of Chinese students’ Western counterparts. Whereas Western student …

A Design Methodology For Implementation Of Serial Peripheral Interface Using Vhdl, Jyothsna Kurapati

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, an approach is proposed for the design and implementation of a serial peripheral interface using Complex Programmable Logic Devices, (CPLD's). The focus of this research was to develop an effective Serial Peripheral Interface. The Serial Peripheral Interface, (SPI), created by Motorola is also known as Microwire, which is a trademark of National Semiconductor. The SPI is a full-duplex, synchronous, serial data link that enables communication between a host processor and peripherals.

The Serial peripheral interface can be programmed in software or built strictly in hardware inside a microcontroller. However, Complex programmable logic devices offer a quicker and …

Family Affairs Newsletter 2005-07-15, Jean Vermette

Family Affairs newsletter (2004-2016)

FAMILY AFFAIRS was a free, twice-a-month, social activities newsletter for the GLBTQI (gay/lesbian/bisexual/trans/queer/intersex) community, sent out around the 1st and 15th of each month. It covered the State of Maine only. The list was begun and maintained for many years by Jean Vermette in Bangor, and later operated by Zack Paakkonen of Portland. Over the years it evolved from a social activities newsletter into a business directory, classified ad service, and community bulletin board.

Self-Schema And Social Comparison Explanations Of Body Dissatisfaction, Patricia Van Den Berg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study was an investigation of the self-schema and social comparison theories of the development of body dissatisfaction. Social comparison stimuli, consisting of photographs of women, were piloted and selected to form 3 stimuli sets: upward comparison, downward comparison, and no comparison. A priming manipulation consisting of an imagery exercise intended to prime participants appearance self-schema was also piloted. Participants completed state measures of body image and mood at pretest, were given the priming manipulation and the social comparison stimuli, then completed posttest measures of mood and body image, as well as providing demographic information. Results indicated no significant …

The Role Of Choice Versus Preference: An Analysis Of Why Choice Interventions Work, John D. Adelinis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has shown that providing students with the opportunity to choose the type of academic assignment could reduce a variety of problem behavior. However, procedural limitations of previous research prevent definitive conclusions regarding the mechanism by which choice interventions effect behavioral change. Furthermore, because research related to choice interventions has been limited primarily to children with developmental and emotional disabilities, the generality of such interventions is unclear. Therefore, the current study set out to extend the efforts of previous researchers by attempting to further isolate the mechanism by which choice procedures produce improved behavioral performance and attempted to further …

Processing, Reliability And Integration Issues In Chemical Mechanical Planarization, Parshuram B. Zantye

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Global planarization is one of the major demands of the semiconductor industry. Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is the planarization method of choice use to achieve the required stringent tolerances essential for successful fabrication of next generation Integrated Circuits (IC). The predominant reason for CMP defects is the shear and normal stresses during polishing to which the material is subjected. Understanding the process of CMP and factor that contribute to overall stress addition during polishing requires an approach that encompasses all the four major categories of variables, namely: a) machine parameters, b) material properties, c) polishing pad characteristics, and d) polishing …

Corrosion Performance Of Concrete Cylinder Piles, Kingsley Lau

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Concrete cylinder piles produced by a centrifugally cast, vibrated, roller compacted process have shown promising corrosion durability in marine environments. Three bridges in the Florida Panhandle with approximately 40 years of service in aggressive marine service were examined. A newly constructed marine bridge utilizing concrete cylinder piles was also examined to verify corrosion performance of piles manufactured with modern building materials and construction compared to piles built several decades ago. Survey of the marine bridges showed minimal corrosion distress despite low design concrete cover to steel hoop reinforcements (20-40 mm). Typical concrete distress included minor rust staining but not necessarily …

Analysis On A Class Of Carnot Groups Of Heisenberg Type, Meagan Mcnamee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we examine key geometric properties of a class of Carnot groups of Heisenberg type. After first computing the geodesics, we consider some partial differential equations in such groups and discuss viscosity solutions to these equations.

Strain, Personality Traits, And Deviance Among Adolescents: Moderating Factors, Jennifer J. Wareham

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

General strain theory has received a fair amount of empirical support and theoretical elaboration over the past several years. Since the introduction of general strain theory, Agnew and others have attempted to increase the comprehensiveness of the processes involved in strain theory. Until recently, the general strain theory literature has ignored what Agnew and associates (Agnew, Brezina, Wright, & Cullen, 2002) argue may be one of the most important conditioning effects of the strain-crime relationship, namely the dispositions or personality traits of the individual experiencing strain. Recently, Agnew and associates (2002) published results from a study examining the conditioning effects …

Assessment Of Resource Selection Using Remote Sensing And Geographic Information Systems (Gis) For Two Vertebrates In Disparate Habitats: The Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus) And The North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena Glacialis), Cherie A. Keller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a treatise on spatially-explicit resource selection on two very different vertebrate species. The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is the most endangered large whales in the world. Ship strikes and fishing gear entanglement are impediments to recovery. The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is an imperiled species whose upland habitats are shrinking from urban and agricultural development. Determining spatial distribution of important resources is important for conservation strategies. Historical and modern thinking of habitat selection theory and analytical techniques are reviewed and applied to these species. Fine-scale resource selection of sea surface temperature …

An Analysis Of Pedagogical Strategies: Using Synchronous Web-Based Course Systems In The Online Classroom, Shauna J. Schullo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated a synchronous web-based course system (SWBCS) as a supplement todistance learning courses. Although challenges exist (such as the complex interface and potentialtechnological problems); these systems hold the potential to enhance the distance learning experiencethrough increased interaction, immediacy, social presence, group work, and collaboration.

Using a rigorous blend of research methods, the study investigated the following questions: (1) what types of pedagogical strategies do instructors implement, (2) how do instructors utilize the tools, (3) which tools do instructors choose to use, (4) why do instructors use the tools and strategies that they choose, and (5) what perceptions do …

African American Adult Education Professors: Perceptions Of Graduate Studies In Adult Education, Sharon Gatling Waldrum

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to provide historical and philosophical information regarding the field of Adult Education from the perspective of 15 African Americans. This studys design utilized the findings from African-American Adult Educators (A-AAE) to add to the depth and breadth of information about Adult Education by engaging participants in reflective dialogue regarding the field and their experiences.

This qualitative design used semi-structured interviews to obtain information about the relationships among and influences of major professors and dissertation committees. The study included influences, direct and indirect, as well as influential authors, books, and publications. Adult Education was analyzed …