American Studies Commons^™

Numerical Modeling Of Cds/Cdte Thin Film Solar Cell Using Medici, Gokul Muthuswamy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Thin Film CdS/CdTe Solar cells have been an attrative alternative to silicon solar cells because of their low cost. Numerical Modeliong using using various tools pertinent only to solar cells have been employed to study the device properties. In this work a powerful device simulation tool MEDICI is used to develop a quantitative device model. The model is modified to accommodate a glass layer and an AM1.5 spectrum is used as the simlation of light source. Analysis of the response of solar cell J-V parameters like voc and Jsc to changes in acceptor concentration, CdTe thickness and changes in the …

Three-Dimensional Digital Image Processing And Reconstruction Of Granular Particles, Jorge A. Rivas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a method for digitization of the two-dimensional shape of granular particles by means of photo microscopy and image processing techniques implemented using a software package from Media Cybernetics, Inc: Image-Pro Plus 5.1 and the add-ins Scope-Pro 5.0, SharpStack 5.0 and 3D Constructor 5.0. With the use of these tools, it was possible to implement an efficient semi-automated routine that allows the digitization of large numbers of two-dimensional silhouettes of particles in minimum time, without endangering the quality and reliability of the shapes obtained. Different sample preparation techniques, illumination systems, deconvolution algorithms, mathematical functions, filtering techniques and programming …

Investigating Turnover Intention Among Emergency Communication Specialists, Yufan Liu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study tested a model that uses job stressors, equity sensitivity, perceived organizational justice, and job satisfaction to explain turnover intention and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). An online survey was distributed to emergency communication specialists from 14 emergency communication centers in Florida. The supervisors in these emergency communication centers were asked to rate their employees on OCB. Responses to the survey and the OCB ratings were analyzed using structural equation modeling to evaluate the fit of a theoretical model to those data. Results showed that the model fit the data reasonably well and nearly all the hypotheses were supported. Specifically, …

Examining The Attitudes Toward Mathematics Of Preservice Elementary School Teachers Enrolled In An Introductory Mathematics Methods Course And The Experiences That Have Influenced The Development Of These Attitudes, Joy Bronston Schackow

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The reform movement in mathematics education has recognized affective factors as an important area where change is needed. This study examined the attitudes toward mathematics of preservice elementary teachers entering an introductory mathematics methods course. The methods course utilized constructivist instructional methods, such as the use of manipulatives, cooperative group work, problem solving, and calculators. Qualitative methods were used to explore participants attitudes toward mathematics and the experiences that have led to the development of these attitudes. The study sought to determine the extent to which preservice teachers attitudes toward mathematics changed during the methods course and the correlation between …

Salinity (Conductivity) Sensor Based On Parallel Plate Capacitors, Shreyas Bhat

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work is aimed at developing a high sensitivity salinity (conductivity) sensor for marine applications. The principle of sensing involves the use of parallel plate capacitors, which minimizes the proximity effects associated with inductive measurement techniques. The barrier properties of two different materials, AZ5214 and Honeywell's ACCUFLO T3027, were investigated for use as the insulation layer for the sensor. Impedance analysis performed on the two coatings using Agilent's 4924A Precision Impedance Analyzer served to prove that ACCUFLO was a better dielectric material for this application when compared to AZ5214.
Two separate detection circuits have been proposed for the salinity sensor. …

Ensembles For Distributed Data, Larry Shoemaker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many simulation data sets are so massive that they must be distributed among disk farms attached to different computing nodes. The data is partitioned into spatially disjoint sets that are not easily transferable among nodes due to bandwidth limitations. Conventional machine learning methods are not designed for this type of data distribution. Experts mark a training data set with different levels of saliency emphasizing speed rather than accuracy due to the size of the task. The challenge is to develop machine learning methods that learn how the expert has marked the training data so that similar test data sets can …

Development Of Laser System To Measure Pavement Rutting, Hongzhi Wang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Asphalt pavement rutting is one of the most common and destructive pavement distresses observed on U.S. roads, particularly in the urban environment at intersections. They are an important indicator of the structural integrity of the pavement as well as having an impact on road user safety. For these reasons, most road agencies regularly monitor the levels of rut depths on their pavement. There are four technologies used for estimating rut depth in automated measurement way: ultrasonics, point lasers, scanning lasers, Optical.

This thesis will focus on the development of the laser scanner rut depth measurement system, including the improvement of …

Mapping Tampa Bay Cynoscion Nebulosus Spawning Habitat Using Passive Acoustic Surveys, Sarah Lyle Walters

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus, spawning locations as well as associated environmental variables were determined for Tampa Bay, Florida during the 2004 spawning season using a mobile hydrophone survey. Hydrophones, a type of underwater microphone, can be used to detect and record spawning sounds of soniferous fishes. During their spawning season in Tampa Bay which generally occurs between March and September, mature male spotted seatrout generate sounds associated with courtship in the crepuscular and evening periods by vibrating sonic muscles against the swim bladder. Active spawning sites can be located using hydrophones to find these calling males.

Using a random …

Torsion-Induced Pressure Distribution Changes In Human Intervertebral Discs: An In Vitro Study, Brenda Kay Yantzer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction. To test the effects of torsion torques on intradiscal pressure and disc height in human lumbar specimens.

Methods. Six human lumbar cadaveric functional spine units (FSU) were loaded in the neutral position with 600 N compression. Nucleus pressure measurements were obtained at 0 Nm, 0.5 Nm, 1.0 Nm and 2 Nm torsion torque. Posterior elements were removed and pressure measurements were repeated at the same torsion torques for the disc body unit (DBU). The pressure in the nucleus was measured by pulling a pressure probe through the disc along a straight path in the midsagittal plane.

Results …

Investigating The Hispanic/Latino Male Dropout Phenomenon: Using Logistic Regression And Survival Analysis, Dorian Charles Vizcain

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored the factors associated with dropping out of middle school and high school among Hispanic/Latino male students. Predictor variables investigated were: age, home language, retention history, SES, program of studies, suspensions, and GPA. Data were from a large urban school district in the state of Florida. A sample of 865 Hispanic/Latino male Latino students in the 8th grade in 1995-96 was followed longitudinally every year to the year 2000-01. Survival analysis and logistic regression were used to examine the data.

The research questions were: 1) What is the relation between age, home language, retention history, SES, program of …

Nanomaterial Sensing Layer Based Surface Acoustic Wave Hydrogen Sensors, Krishnan Srinivasan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses the design and use of suitable nanomaterials and surface acoustic wave sensors for hydrogen detection and sensing.

Nanotechnology is aimed at design and synthesis of novel nanoscale materials. These materials could find uses in the design of optical, biomedical and electronic devices. One such example of a nanoscale biological system is a virus. Viruses have been given a lot of attention for assembly of nanoelectronic materials. The tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) used in this research represents an inexpensive and renewable biotemplate that can be easily functionalized for the synthesis of nanomaterials. Strains of this virus have been …

Creation, Analysis, And Evaluation Of Remote Sensing Sinkhole Databases For Pinellas County, Florida, Larry D. Seale Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A database of likely sinkholes in Pinellas County, Florida, created using airborne laser swath mapping (ALSM a.k.a LIDAR for light detection and ranging), correlates poorly with other databases of likely sinkholes created from modern and historic aerial photographs. Urbanization appears to be the cause of the poor correlation. Buildings obscure much of the ground surface in urban areas, and many man-made depressions can be confused with natural sinkholes. Additionally, the lack of air photos contemporaneous with the ALSM data hinders ALSM analysis in rapidly developing areas.

Selecting a lightly-developed portion of the county for further study reduced the effects of …

Examining Emotional Intelligence And Leadership, Shannon Webb

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Varying theories have been presented about the relationship of emotional intelligence to transformational leadership. The present study examines the extent to which a self report measure of emotional intelligence, based upon an ability model, can predict each of the four components of transformational leadership. This study further considers the extent to which the quality of a leader-follower dyad's Leader-Member Exchange relationship can moderate the relationship between emotional intelligence and transformational leadership. Study results demonstrate that emotional intelligence is related to several components of transformational leadership, and that both the quality of the Leader-Member Exchange relationship and the tenure of the …

From Chapel To Chamber: Liturgy And Devotion In Lucantonio Giunta’S Missale Romanum, 1508, Lesley T. Stone

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A missal is the liturgical book containing the prayers and readings for the celebration of the Mass. Originally designed in large folio format, the simultaneous arrival of the printing press amidst a shift in the celebration of Mass from a communal to a private sphere resulted in the proliferation of the small and more portable octavo-size missal. Missals traditionally contained minimal illustrations prior to printing, resulting in their strict classification as a liturgical object. This thesis questions the previous established boundaries which categorize medieval objects as related to a particular type of religious activity. In other words, missals have been …

Application Of Residual Mapping Calibration To A Transient Groundwater Flow Model, Jeremy White

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Residual mapping is an automated groundwater-model calibration technique which rapidly identifies parameter-zone configurations, while limiting tendencies to over-parameterize. Residual mapping analyzes the model residual, or the difference between model-calculated head and spatially-interpolated observation data, for non-random trends. These trends are entered in the model as parameter zones. The values of hydrologic variables in each parameter zone are then optimized, using parameter-estimation software. Statistics calculated by the parameter-estimation software are used to determine the statistical significance of the parameter zones. If the parameter-value ranges for adjacent zones do not have significant overlap, the zones are considered to be valid. This technique …

Reach Out: The Newsletter Of Maine Speakout Project (Fall 2005), Maine Speakout Project, Community Counseling Center

Reach out : the newsletter of Maine Speakout Project (2004-2006)

No abstract provided.

Equality News (Fall 2005), Rodney Mondor

Equality news / EqualityMaine (2004-2008)

No abstract provided.

Documenting Queer Community Histories: Whose History Is It?, Jessica Stern, Nicholas Ray

Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS)

What does it mean to be a member of a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ) community? When did LGBTQ community history begin? Where do queer communities differ? How do we broach these questions to document communities' experiences? And significantly, why is it important to document the histories of those who are defined as LGBTQ?

Bangor Literary Reading Contest, Maureen Elgersman - Lee (Ed.)

The Griot

No abstract provided.

Family Affairs Newsletter 2005-10-01, 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.

Review Of Fledgling, By Octavia Butler, Michael Dean Benton

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

No abstract provided.

On Justine Larbalestier’S The Battle Of The Sexes In Science Fiction, Joe Bisz

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

Science Fiction, writes author Justine Larbalestier, has always told the tale of the battle between the sexes. The battle can be witnessed from afar, as in the grainy 1930’s letter columns in old sci-fi magazines like Astounding where quarrels over innate sexual differences were published and debated, or from up close in today’s literature. Larbalestier declares that the goal of her book is to illustrate how necessary and important this former, pre-70’s period of science fiction (1926 to 1973) is to contemporary feminist science fiction. The pre-70’s time period has been consistently ignored by critics, who fixate on …

Oy Science Fiction: On Genre, Criticism, And Alien Love: An Interview With Marleen S. Barr, Marlene S. Barr, Ximena Gallardo C., C. Jason Smith

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph of Abstract]

Marleen S. Barr is a pioneer of feminist science fiction criticism and a leader in the fight against the ghettoizing influences of genre-labeling in literary criticism. While the noteworthy Feminist Fabulation: Space/Postmodern Fiction (University of Iowa Press, 1992) has been praised as Barr's seminal work in feminist science fiction criticism and theory, it is in Genre Fission: A New Discourse Practice for Cultural Studies (U of Iowa P, 2000) where she takes on literary critics' discriminatory practices against genre fiction in general and fantasy and science fiction in particular.

Review Of Mizora: A Prophecy, By Mary E. Bradley Lane, Melissa Purdue

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

No abstract provided.

Unlv Magazine, Erin O'Donnell, Gillian Silver, Lori Bachand, Regina Barcolas, Tony Allen, Gian Galassi, Suzan Dibella, Diane Russell, Doug Mcinnis, Cate Weeks, Jennifer Robison, Holly Ivy De Vore

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

On Lillian Robinson’S Wonder Women: Feminisms And Superheroes, Carlos Hernandez

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

Sure, we all know that one of the primary functions of comic books is to titillate the proto-patriarchal penises of 12-year-old boys. But might this all-American art form have more to offer women than wedgie-prone bikini bottoms and cleavage from the Planet of the Fembots? According to Lillian Robinson’s Wonder Women, the answer is “Yes, but ....” The “Yes” part comes primarily, and foundationally, through the original Wonder Woman comics of the 40s, which told a story that to this day remains almost unheard-of in comic books: the story of a fully-realized female protagonist. For Robinson, the …

Lost And Found: The Imagined Geographies Of American Studies, Cindi Katz

Publications and Research

In the days after September 11th, 2001, and continuing until now, the national guard and other military personnel fanned out around New York City. Automatic rifles slung over their camouflaged shoulders, they "guarded" New York City's transportation stations, vital corners and thoroughfares, marquee buildings, and each and every bridge and tunnel entrance. Their comportment was usually cordial and rarely vigilant. Exuding the antithesis of an urban sensibility, they complemented the beefy boredom of the police who usually stood nearby, with an almost surreal sense of incredulity; not just "Why am I here?" but a sort of bafflement that anyone would …

Third Grade Retention And The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test: An Exploratory Study, Heather A. Powell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Literacy is a growing national concern, resulting in federal legislation (e.g., No Child Left Behind Act) instituting higher accountability for states and schools with regard to reading instruction and remediation. As a result, Floridas statewide measure of achievement, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) is now tied to retention decisions in third grade as part of the new pupil progression plan in the state. In its first year of implementation (2003), 23% of third-grade students failed the FCAT and over 28,000 were retained.

Research has consistently shown retention to be a negative experience for children; even when academic gains are …

Sialic Acid Modulation Of Cardiac Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Gating Throughout The Developing Myocardium, Patrick J. Stocker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The proper orchestration of voltage-gated ion channel gating is vital to maintaining normal heart rhythms throughout an animal's lifespan. Voltage-gated sodium channels, Na_v, are responsible for the initiation of the cardiac action potential, which leads to cardiac systole. Comparison of neonatal ventricular and atrial myocyte Na_v gating with adult indicated that the neonatal ventricular Na_v gated following a ~10 mV greater depolarization than did atrial or adult ventricular Na_v. In this study I questioned whether development- and/or chamber-dependent changes in Na_v-associated functional sialic acids could account for these differences. When desialylated with …

Gender Stereotypes Of Citizenship Performance And Their Influence On Organizational Rewards, Lisa Wilkinson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gender differences were investigated on ratings of citizenship performance (altruistic behaviors in the workplace). Self, peer, and supervisor ratings were collected on the three dimensions of citizenship performance (personal support, organizational support, and conscientious initiative) with scale type and gender as possible moderators of citizenship performance ratings.

Two hundred and twenty-four individuals performance ratings were collected, from different companies across the United States. The majority of these participants were white and female, and the largest industry sampled was the customer service industry. Participants were asked to complete a performance rating about themselves and have their peers and supervisor evaluate their …