American Studies Commons^™

The Effect Of Growth Factors On The Corneal Stroma Extracellular Matrix Production By Keratocytes, Latia Shaquan Etheredge

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The corneal wound healing process is a complex process, which often leads to the development of scar tissue with loss of transparency. When the cornea is wounded, some of the viable keratocytes are activated by growth factors to proliferate, and repair the wound by the production of a new extracellular matrix (ECM) that is either normal or is disorganized (fibrotic). The first part of this dissertation aims to show that the growth factors IGF-I, TGF-ß, FGF-2, and PDGF stimulate keratocytes to synthesize different levels of collagens and proteoglycans and are therefore responsible for initiating the wound healing repair process. FGF-2 …

Fireproofing The Lawn: Reclaimed Water And Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers In Tampa Bay, Ryan C. Davis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Reclaimed water has increased in popularity as a means to recycle water and thus decrease the amount of wasteful water use. This process is widely used in Tampa Bay for watering of lawns. This increase in popularity and use has raised questions as to what contaminants are in the reclaimed water.

The purpose of this study was to analyze reclaimed water for contaminants believed to be detrimental to health and conduct interviews to ascertain perceptions of risk in the local population. As water reuse grows in popularity further research will need to be conducted to address potential human health concerns. …

Coffins, Closets, Kitchens, And Convents: Women Writing Of Home In Gendered Spaces, Nicole Spottke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coffins, Closets, Kitchens, and Convents uses anthropologist Liz Kenyon's categories of home, Gaston Bachelard's theories on the importance of imagination and metaphor in home building, as well as literary criticism, sociology, and feminist theory to examine values of "home" in various literary works of the eighteenth and twentieth centuries. This dissertation's focus on the struggles within traditional home spheres highlights the female characters' need of a protected space. Yet these characters realize they must allow for connections with various individuals to bring about such a safe space. Through the creative act of writing, Mary Leapor's Mira in the poem, "Crumble …

Investigation Of Residual And Thermal Stress On Membrane-Based Mems Devices, Lynford O. Davis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Thin films have become very important in the past years as there is a tremendous increase in the need for small-scale devices. Thin films are preferred because of their electrical, mechanical, chemical, and other unique properties. They are often used for coatings, and in the fabrication of Microelectronic devices and Micro-electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS). Internal (residual) stress always exists when a thin film is employed in the device design. Residual and thermal stresses cause membrane bow, altering the anticipated dynamic response of a membrane-based MEMS design. The device may even become inoperable under the high stresses conditions. As a result, …

Pulsed Power And Load-Pull Measurements For Microwave Transistors, Sivalingam Somasundaram Meena

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A novel method is shown for fitting and/or validating electro-thermal models using pulsed I(V) measurements and pulsed I(V) simulations demonstrated using modifications of an available non-linear model for an LDMOS (Laterally Diffused Metal Oxide Semiconductor) device. After extracting the thermal time constant, good agreement is achieved between measured and simulated pulsed I(V) results under a wide range of different pulse conditions including DC, very short (<0.1%) duty cycles, and varied pulse widths between these extremes. A pulsed RF load-pull test bench was also assembled and demonstrated for a VDMOS (Vertically Diffused Metal Oxide Semiconductor) and an LDMOS power transistor. The basic technique should also be useful for GaAs and GaN transistors with suitable consideration for the complexity added by trapping mechanisms present in those types of transistors.

Handover Performance In The Mobile Wimax Netrworks, Yongxue Yu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mobile terminals allow users to access service while on the move. This unique feature has driven the rapid growth in the mobile network industry, changing it from a new technology into a massive industry in less than two decades.

In this thesis, an in-depth study of the handover effects of mobile WiMAX networks is carried out. The mobile WiMAX technology is first presented as literature study and then the technologies of handovers for previous generations are introduced in detail. Further, the hard handover of the mobile WiMAX is simulated by Network Simulator-2 (NS-2). In addition, the "ping-pang" effect of handover …

Mercury Perception, Community Awareness And Sustainability Implications For The Tampa Bay Region, Florida, Trina Halfhide

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over one million acres of land and water in Florida has been classified as impaired by mercury. Approximately 80% of national fish advisories are issued due to mercury contamination. There have been a number of consumption advisories in the Tampa Bay Region for locally eaten fish such as largemouth bass (

Micropterus salmoides), bowfin (Amia calva), and alligator gar (Lepisosteus osseus). The main purpose of this study was to determine if there is adequate dissemination of mercury related risk information by government agencies to recreational and subsistence fishermen in the Tampa Bay Region. This research …

Environment, Channel, And Interference Awareness For Next Generation Wireless Networks, Serhan Yarkan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Wireless communication systems have evolved substantially over the last two decades. The explosive growth of the wireless communications market is expected to continue in the future, as the demand for all types of wireless services is increasing. Beside providing higher data rates, next generation wireless networks (NGWN) are expected to have advanced capabilities such as interoperability, efficient spectrum utilization along with a wide variety of applications over different domains (e.g., public safety and military, aeronautical networks, femtocells, and so on) to the mobile users while serving as many users as possible.

However, these advanced capabilities and services must …

Development Of Cdte Thin Film Solar Cells On Flexible Foil Substrates, Deidra Ranel Hodges

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) is a leading thin film photovoltaic (PV) material due to its near ideal band gap of 1.45 eV, its high optical absorption coefficient and availability of various device fabrication methods. Superstrate CdTe solar cells fabricated on glass have to-date exhibited efficiencies of 16.5%. Work on substrate devices has been limited due to difficulties associated with the formation of an ohmic back contact with CdTe. The most promising approach used to-date is based on the use of an interlayer between the CdTe and a metal electrode, an approach that is believed to yield a pseudo-ohmic contact. This research …

Shaping The Dream: A Survey Of Post-World War Ii St. Petersburg, 1946-1963, Jon L. Wilson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

St. Petersburg stood on the cusp of great change in 1946. Returning veterans sought jobs and housing, and St. Petersburg experienced its first major growth era since the real estate boom of the 1920s. The decade of the 1950s saw the city's population leap from 96,738 to 181,298, an 87 percent increase driven by boosters and national publicity about the city's leisurely ambience. Tract houses replaced remaining pockets of pasture and pine trees as subdivisions sprawled toward the city limits and beyond. On fertile truck-farming acreage called Goose Pond, developers built Central Plaza, a shopping center positioned to drain business …

Additive Latent Variable (Alv) Modeling: Assessing Variation In Intervention Impact In Randomized Field Trials, Peter Ayo Toyinbo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In order to personalize or tailor treatments to maximize impact among different

subgroups, there is need to model not only the main effects of intervention but also the variation

in intervention impact by baseline individual level risk characteristics. To this end a suitable

statistical model will allow researchers to answer a major research question: who benefits or is

harmed by this intervention program? Commonly in social and psychological research, the

baseline risk may be unobservable and have to be estimated from observed indicators that are

measured with errors; also it may have nonlinear relationship with the outcome. Most of the …

Architectures And Algorithms For Mitigation Of Soft Errors In Nanoscale Vlsi Circuits, Koustav Bhattacharya

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The occurrence of transient faults like soft errors in computer circuits poses a significant challenge to the reliability of computer systems. Soft error, which occurs when the energetic neutrons coming from space or the alpha particles arising out of packaging materials hit the transistors, may manifest themselves as a bit flip in the memory element or as a transient glitch generated at any internal node of combinational logic, which may subsequently propagate to and be captured in a latch. Although the problem of soft errors was earlier only a concern for space applications, aggressive technology scaling trends have exacerbated the …

Sugar Ethanol In Florida: Economic, Agricultural, And Environmental Aspects, Joshua F. Berger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ethanol production has been widely perceived as a solution to the global energy crisis, with the added benefit of reinvigorating declining agricultural economies. Moves towards dedicating crop production to ethanol however have raised a number of concerns related to its economic and environmental consequences. Missing from this debate is a consideration of the ways in which sugar can be used as a feedstock for ethanol, an issue that is especially pertinent within the state of Florida. The national commitment and scale of corn ethanol production in the U.S. has largely meant a lack of focus on other feedstocks which could …

Biomechanical Model Of Transhumeral Prostheses, Rebekah Freilich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It has been shown that the interface between the prosthetic socket and residual limb (S-RL) interface is an important factor in determining acceptance and outcomes of upper limb prostheses. [1] Among the most common complaint from amputees is that the prosthesis is uncomfortable due to developing skin irritation which is usually attributed to poor fit (Nielson 1990). In order to understand why skin irritations can and do occur it is imperative to examine the biomechanical properties of the S-RL interface. A primary reason behind the development of skin irritation is instability of the socket upon the residuum. Alley (2009) asserts …

New Engagements With Documentary Editions: Audiences, Formats, Contexts, Andrew Jewell

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

This paper is an effort to think about something different than the creation of documentary editions. It is an effort to think about the reading of them. Specifically, I want to think about the ways the reading of documentary editions is changing, or how it might change. First, however, a caveat: much of what I say is speculative and anecdotal. Though others’ research has been consulted, I’m heavily influenced by what I observe is happening with readers of my own editing project, The Willa Cather Archive, a digital thematic research collection dedicated to the life, work, and environs of the …

Cultural Competence In Health Care: A Client-Based Perspective, Karon L. Phillips

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In response to the presence of health disparities among a diverse population of older adults, creating culturally competent health care services has emerged as a possible method to help reduce and eventually eliminate inequalities in health care. However, little information exists concerning the effectiveness of cultural competence, and even less is known about how culturally competent clients perceive their providers to be. This dissertation examined a number of indicators related to cultural competence, including the predictors of client-provider racial/ethnic concordance, client perceptions of the interpersonal sensitivity of their health care providers, and the overall satisfaction with care reported by older …

A Data Link Layer In Support Of Swarming Of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles, Daladier Jabba Molinares

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Communication underwater is challenging because of the inherent characteristics of the media. First, common radio frequency (RF) signals utilized in wireless communications cannot be used under water. RF signals are attenuated in such as way that RF communication underwater is restricted to very few meters. As a result, acoustic-based communication is utilized for underwater communications; however, acoustic communication has its own limitations. For example, the speed of sound is five orders of magnitude lower than the speed of light, meaning that communications under water experience long propagation delays, even in short distances. Long propagation delays impose strong challenges in the …

Living With Sugar: Socioeconomic Status And Cultural Beliefs About Type 2 Diabetes Among Afro-Caribbean Women, Chrystal A.S Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the U.S., individuals of Afro-Caribbean and Latino descent are two to three times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than non-Hispanic whites. Caribbean and Latin America migrants, particularly minority women bear a disproportionate burden of type 2 diabetes and its risk factors. The purpose of this research is to investigate if Afro-Caribbean women share a cultural belief model about type 2 diabetes and how this belief model, along with structural barriers to health care, influence disease risk and management.

A sample of 40 women, primarily Jamaican and Trinidadian, 35 to 90 years of age previously diagnosed with type …

Evaluation Of A Self-Monitoring Program To Increase Treatment Integrity Of Behavior Intervention Plans, Lela E. Taylor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The growing number of school-aged children displaying challenging behavior has increased the need for effective interventions. School-based consultants (SBC) report using behavioral consultation to assist teachers in designing behavior intervention plans (BIP) that help students engage in appropriate behavior in the classroom. Research indicates that direct training methods increase teacher's implementation of the BIP. One commonly used direct training method, performance feedback (PF), is used to assess teachers' treatment integrity. Research also indicates that checklists (non-direct measures) are more cost efficient methods. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate a direct training method used to train teachers to self-monitor …

Medicare Part D Program: Prescription Drug Plan Copayment Structure And Premium Sensitivity, Rui Dai

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since January 2006 Medicare beneficiaries have the option to purchase prescription drug benefits from Medicare under the Part D program. The addition of outpatient drugs to the Medicare programs reflects Congress’ recognition of the fundamental change in recent years in how medical care is delivered in the U.S. It recognizes the vital role of prescription drugs in the health care delivery system and the need to modernize Medicare to assure their availability to Medicare beneficiaries. The Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) created the Medicare drug benefit and specified a standard plan. The law also enables …

Molecular Intervention In Mouse Models Of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis And Alzheimer’S Disease – Neuropathology And Behavior, Steven Prescott Bennett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Neurodegeneration describes the progressive loss of structure and function of neurons, leading ultimately to cell and organism death. Although the initiating factors of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis may be different, they share common pathophysiologies. Proteinopathies, as these diseases are now termed, are characterized by atypical deposits of proteins, often due to misfolding. Associated with these deposits are dysfunctional mitochondria, oxidative stress, disrupted axonal transport, inflammation, and apoptotic cell death. If this occurs in motor neurons, as in ALS, ataxia precedes death with little or no change in cognition. On the other hand, if …

Goal Attainment On Long Tail Web Sites: An Information Foraging Approach, James A. Mccart

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation sought to explain goal achievement at limited traffic “long tail” Web sites using

Information Foraging Theory (IFT). The central thesis of IFT is that individuals are driven by a

metaphorical sense of smell that guides them through patches of information in their environment.

An information patch is an area of the search environment with similar information. Information

scent is the driving force behind why a person makes a navigational selection amongst a group

of competing options. As foragers are assumed to be rational, scent is a mechanism by which to

reduce search costs by increasing the accuracy on …

Walking Box Ranch Custodianship Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending October 10, 2009, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV provides stewardship of Walking Box Ranch (WBR) by providing a caretaker who oversees the property, facilitating use of the property by researchers and educators, developing a use and research policy for the property, and coordinating these activities with BLM and in accordance with TNC restrictions.
• UNLV currently addresses security issues for the property through the presence of the caretaker and three Metro Officers who reside on the property in two recreational vehicles, in rotation.
• UNLV is developing a Premises-use Process, which will define how UNLV receives and submits requests to conduct work on the 40-acre headquarters site to BLM. …

Theoretical Studies Of Long-Range Interactions In Quasi-One Dimensional Cylindrical Structures, Kevin Tatur

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Casimir forces originating from vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic fields are of increasing importance in many scientific and technological areas. The manifestations of these long-range forces at the nanoscale have led to the need of better understanding of their contribution in relation to the stability of different physical systems as well as the operation of various technological components and devices. This dissertation presents mathematical and theoretical methods to calculate the Casimir interaction in various infinitely long cylindrical nanostructures. A dielectric-diamagnetic cylindrical layer immersed in a medium is first considered. The layer has a finite thickness characterized with specific dielectric and …

Travelstead, Nelle (Gooch), 1888-1974 (Sc 2046), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2046. Undated Christmas poem written by Nelle Gooch Travelstead for her grandson Coleman Travelstead; explanatory letter 30 June 2008 from Coleman Travelstead to Jonathan Jeffrey.

Portraits Of Online Teaching And Learning: The Experiences Of An Instructor And Six Graduate Students In A Course Entitled Educating Students With Autism, Sarah R. Semon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the last decade (1999-2009) Florida's Bureau of Exceptional Education Student Services, in partnership with Institutions of Higher Education created the Florida Virtual ESE program to develop and deliver online professional development courses. The state also provided tuition support for teachers to participate in online professional development coursework to earn credentials necessary to be considered Highly Qualified. Online course delivery is thought to be a cost-effective approach to the provision of professional development for in-service teachers. However, there is a need to examine what it takes to create meaningful online learning experiences that facilitate the goals and objectives particular to …

Volume 2 - Issue 1: La Créole - A Journal Of Creole History & Genealogy, Camille L. Naudin, Jari Christopher Louis Honora, Dr. Raphael Cassimere, Fatima Shaik, Isaiah Edwards, Eugenia Adams

La Créole - A Journal of Creole History & Genealogy

The Louisiana Creole Research Association, Inc., known as LA Creole, was founded on August 21, 2004 as a New Orleans-based, non-profit family research and educational organization. Its purpose is to assist Creoles of Color in researching their ancestry, to educate the general public about Creole history and culture, and to celebrate the contributions and legacy of a unique, sometimes forgotten people. La Créole, the Association’s journal is published annually.

Myth Management: The Nature Of The Hero In Callimachus’ Hecale And Catullus’ Poem 64, Oraleze D. Byars

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Two of the best known examples of the Hellenistic epyllion are the Hecale by Callimachus and poem 64 by Catullus. Both poems feature Theseus, a traditional hero whose mythology dates to Homer and Hesiod. Callimachus chose an episode from the Theseus tradition which highlighted his positive side, while Catullus picked a chapter from the mythic stores which put him in the worst possible light. This paper will examine the two poet's use of mythological material - how they suppressed, included and altered the earlier traditions - to make their very antithetical cases for Theseus. In addition to Theseus, I will …

The Effects Of Professional Development Efforts On Educator Beliefs And Perceptions Of Competency Within A School-Based Response To Intervention Model, Joshua Nadeau

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify and understand relationships between educators' perceived skills, observed practices, and stated beliefs - as well as the impact of evidence-based professional development upon those relationships - during the first year of ongoing school-based implementation for Florida's Statewide Problem- Solving/Response to Intervention (PS/RtI) Project. The PS/RtI model is conceptualized as providing a data-based template to drive student service delivery decisions; as providing a tiered framework of assessment and evaluation to maximize efficiency of allocated school funds; and as defining the determination of eligibility for special education services to be based solely upon a …

"So Long As I Can Read": Farm Women's Reading Experiences In Depression-Era South Dakota, Lisa Lindell

Hilton M. Briggs Library Faculty Publications

During the Great Depression, with conditions grim, entertainment scarce, and educational opportunities limited, many South Dakota farm women relied on reading to fill emotional, social, and informational needs. To read to any degree, these rural women had to overcome multiple obstacles. Extensive reading (whether books, farm journals, or newspapers) was limited to those who had access to publications and could make time to read. The South Dakota Free Library Commission was valuable in circulating reading materials to the state's rural population. In the 1930s the commission collaborated with the USDA's Extension Service in a popular reading project geared toward South …