American Studies Commons^™

Development Of An End-Effector Sensory Suite For A Rehabilitation Robot, Stephanie A. Stiber

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research presents an approach in assisting the control and operation of a rehabilitation robot manipulator to execute simple grasping tasks for persons with severe disabilities. It outlines the development of an end-effector sensory suite that includes the BarrettHand end-effector, laser range finder, and a low cost camera.

The approach taken in this research differs greatly from the currently available rehabilitation robot arms in that it requires minimal user instruction, it is easy to operate and more effective for persons severely disabled. A thorough study of the currently available systems; Manus, Raptor and Kares II arm, is also presented.

In …

Assessment Of Occupational Heat Strain, Margaret Wan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Assessment of heat strain considers an individual’s tolerance and indicates the risk and physiological cost of working in hot environments. This study evaluated the discrimination ability of metrics of heat strain. The null hypotheses were that (1) the metrics individually could not discriminate between acceptable and unacceptable heat strain, (2) there were no significant differences among these metrics, and (3) there were no significant differences in the applicability of the metrics due to clothing or heat stress level.

The experimental design was a case crossover. Clothing and heat stress level were potential confounders. Two clothing ensembles were work clothes and …

An Evaluation Of The Relationship Between Stress, Depression, And Glycemic Control In Low-Income Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, Kristen Jennifer Wells

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

People in low socioeconomic status groups are at increased risk for diabetes mellitus, a group of diseases associated with high levels of blood glucose. High rates of depression have been found in people with diabetes. The study examined the relationship between stress, depression, and glycemic control in low-income type 2 diabetes patients. Participants were recruited at two community health centers that provide free medical care. The following hypotheses were examined: (1) experiencing stressful life events is positively correlated with blood glucose level; (2) negative stressful events have a greater association with glucose level than positive stressful events; (3) depression mediates …

Geophysical Investigations And Groundwater Modeling Of The Hydrologic Conditions At Masaya Caldera, Nicaragua, Richard Eric Macneil

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Masaya volcano, Nicaragua, has been the site of tremendous Plinian basaltic eruptions. Two eruptions ~6,500 and 2,250 BP formed the 6 kilometer (km) x 11 km, northwest trending Masaya caldera. The present day active Santiago Crater within the caldera is the site of persistent volcano degassing and occasional phreatic explosions. While the mechanism responsible for these phreatic explosions is unclear, one possible explanation is the interaction of groundwater with the shallow magma chamber beneath Masaya. This interaction with meteoric water is supported by the substantial steam discharge from the vent, which is significantly larger than other similar volcanoes in the …

Family Affairs Newsletter 2006-07-15, 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.

Knowledge-Based Video Compression For Robots And Sensor Networks, Chris Williams Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Robot and sensor networks are needed for safety, security, and rescue applicationssuch as port security and reconnaissance during a disaster. These applications rely on realtimetransmission of images, which generally saturate the available wireless networkinfrastructure. Knowledge-based Compression is a strategy for reducing the video frametransmission rate between robots or sensors and remote operators. Because images mayneed to be archived as evidence and/or distributed to multiple applications with differentpost processing needs, lossy compression schemes, such as MPEG, H.26x, etc., are notacceptable. This work proposes a lossless video server system consisting of three classesof filters (redundancy, task, and priority) which use different levels …

A Mechanized Horseback Riding Simulator As An Aid To Physical Therapy, Jennifer Lott

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Equine-assisted therapy is a nontraditional form of physical therapy that involves riding horses as a form of rehabilitation. Limited access to these riding programs justifies a need to develop a horseback riding simulator capable of simulating the gaits, bend, and collection of the horse. Research involving the development of horseback riding simulators is limited, but the available research does show promising results in the ability to aid in physical therapy.

A two-dimensional model and simulation was developed using MATLAB. Using the results from the simulation, a horseback riding simulator was designed, fabricated and tested. The physical simulator was capable of …

The Reaction To Economic Globalization In Latin America: A Case Study Of Argentina, Lisa A. Warner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since Washington Consensus policies became predominant in the 1980s, two sides of the economic globalization debate have developed: advocates claim that trade liberalization, deregulation, privatization and reduced state spending increase growth and therefore reduce poverty, while critics claim that levels of poverty and income disparity have worsened at the same time that social welfare and education programs have suffered budget cuts. Over the past decade, as many Latin Americans have failed to see promised results to alleviate poverty stemming from the "lost decade" of the 1980s (and beyond), they have elected "leftist" presidents that campaigned on anti-economic globalization (or anti-neoliberal) …

Study Of Upward-Facing Spray Cooling With Water At Atmospheric Pressure, Alberto D. Sato

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Spray cooling is a high heat removal technique which has been used widely in many industries, especially metallurgical, where the control of the temperatures of metals is an important factor to obtain the desired microstructure; and also in microelectronics where is very important to obtain high heat fluxes at relatively low surface temperatures. In this study, an open loop spray cooling system has been fabricated to provide an upward-facing spray over a 12 mm diameter test surface. A full cone spray nozzle was used to deliver deionized water to the test surface at five pressures (10, 15, 20, 25 and …

Mining Medical Data In A Clinical Environment, Tim V. Ivanovskiy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The availability of new treatments for a disease depends on the success of clinical trials. In order for a clinical trial to be successful and approved, medical researchers must first recruit patients with a specific set of conditions in order to test the effectiveness of the proposed treatment. In the past, the accrual process was tedious and time-consuming. Since accruals rely heavily on the ability of physicians and their staff to be familiar with the protocol eligibility criteria, candidates tend to be missed. This can result and has resulted in unsuccessful trials.A recent project at the University of South Florida …

The Shift In United States Foreign Policy In The Middle East Since 1989, Brandon M. Ward

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A bi-polar world emerged at the end of World War II. The United States and the Soviet Union were the world’s superpowers and tensions between them spiraled consequently bringing about the Cold War. United States foreign policy during the Cold War revolved around containment policy. The Middle East during the Cold War was a region that the bi-polar world’s superpowers wanted to influence, and protect. The United States during the Cold War warned the Soviet Union through presidential doctrines that it would fight to keep the Middle East from communism, and the Soviet Union’s influence.

The bi-polar international power structure …

Family Affairs Newsletter 2006-07-01, 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.

Equality News (Summer 2006), Matthew R. Dubois

Equality news / EqualityMaine (2004-2008)

No abstract provided.

Review Of Dripping Dry: Literature, Politics, And Water In The Desert Southwest, By David N. Cassuto, Cory Shaman

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

Concentrating primarily on the environmental history of the last 100 years in the American Southwest, David N. Cassuto examines what he suggests is the nexus of political dispute regarding water in the region: the intractable tension between the ideologies of reclamation and restoration. After an initial chapter on John Wesley Powell and the 19th century origins of the hydraulic West, the book proceeds with an exploration of four representative texts in order to demonstrate what Cassuto has identified as the successive stages of the reclamation movement: "At the beginning of the twentieth century, Mary Austin believed in spite …

Literal/Littoral Crossings: Re-Articulating Hope Atherton’S Story After Susan Howe’S Articulation Of Sound Forms In Time, W. Scott Howard

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

Water transforms everything it touches: landscapes, lives & languages. This essay offers a true relation, or a sequence of contiguous reflections—some concentric, others eccentric—provoked by the strange story of Hope Atherton (1646-77), first minister of Hatfield, Massachusetts and protagonist of American poet Susan Howe’s Articulation of Sound Forms in Time (Awede, 1987): his involvement at the battle of Peskeompscut (May 19, 1676) and separation from Captain Turner’s men during their retreat, which became a rout; Rev. Atherton’s crossings of rivers & brooks, his fearful wanderings through woods, around marshes, swamps; his near captivity, miraculous signal escapes, deliverance from …

Personalized Gravestones: Your Life's Passion For All To See And Hear, Peter A. Maresco, Ahmed U. Zafar

WCBT Faculty Publications

In the past several years, a trend has developed that in an earlier age would have seemed inappropriate and perhaps even morbid; the increased personalization of gravestones (memorials). What makes this trend interesting is the variety of shapes, designs, manufacturing processes, and types of personalization actually appearing on gravestones, including seven-inch LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screens recessed into the face of memorials. This paper discusses gravestones (memorials) in a religious context. It examines the rapidly developing market for elaborately designed memorials both in their traditional forms, typically vertical and created out of granite with just a name and date of …

The Role Of Organizational Culture In The Delivery Of Humanitarian Assistance And Inter-Organizational Collaboration, Jamie Antoinette Wilke Corvin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The international community has seen a dramatic increase in the complexity of aid operations, with increasing numbers of donors participating in humanitarian aid endeavors. Therefore, it is essential to determine factors that contribute to successful aid delivery. In an effort to guide more effective and efficient aid operations, this study investigated organizational culture in three distinct types of humanitarian organizations: (a) the U.S. military, (b) the International Federation of the Red Cross, and (c) a sampling of local and indigenous non-governmental organizations. Being a relatively unexplored area, this study took an exploratory approach, utilizing qualitative methods to analyze humanitarian aid …

Establishing A Functional Analysis Protocol For Examining Behavioral Deficits Using Social Withdrawal As An Exemplar, Melissa Penaranda Walters

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to establish a functional analysis protocol for examining behavioral deficits, using social withdrawal as an exemplar. A review of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis over the past 10 years found that although the current behavior analytic literature contains extensive studies that functionally analyze behavioral excesses, there is a limited amount of studies that analyze deficits. The rationale behind this study was the notion that although behavioral deficits are rarely studied, the fact that the participant is capable of the behavior yet fails to engage in it leads to the idea that certain events …

The Acquisition Of Functional Sign Language By Non-Hearing Impaired Infants, Kerri Haley-Garrett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research shows that young children, typically developing with no developmental delays, hearing impairments or visual impairments, can acquire sign language to communicate their wants or needs prior to their ability to communicate through spoken language. However, much of the research reviewed focused on whether it was normative for young children to use signs or symbolic gestures to represent objects, make requests, or to express other wants or needs. In addition, many of the studies reviewed lacked scientific rigor and were primarily anecdotal in that much of the data relied on parent reports of his/her child's production of signs or symbolic …

Family Affairs Newsletter 2006-06-15, 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.

Family Affairs Newsletter Business Directory 2006-06-15, Jean Vermette

Family Affairs newsletter (2004-2016)

Family Affairs Newsletter Directory of GLBTQIA Businesses.

Use Of Box-Pcr Subtyping Of Escherichia Coli And Enterococcus Spp. To Determine The Source Of Microbial Contamination At A Florida Beach, Miriam J. Brownell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Siesta Key Beach, located on the Gulf Coast of Florida, is frequently mentioned among the top ten beaches in the US. In summer 2004, high levels of indicator bacteria caused health warnings to be posted, and a storm drainage system was implicated as a possible source of microbial contamination. A study was initiated to determine whether indicator bacteria that persisted in the stormwater system could contribute to high microbial loads in receiving waters. Two sampling events, one within 48 hours of a rain event and the other during dry conditions, were conducted. Water and sediment samples were taken at various …

Metal-Organic Networks Based Upon Dicarboxylato Ligands, Zhenqiang Wang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Network structures based upon metal-organic backbones represent a new class of functional materials that can be rationally constructed by employing the concepts of supramolecular chemistry and crystal engineering. The modularity of design strategies, the diversity of prototypal structures, and the dynamic features of networks have afforded great advantages over traditional materials syntheses. The research presented in this thesis is primarily concerned with developing an in-depth understanding of the basic principles that govern the supramolecular behaviors of metal-organic networks and gaining an experimental control over the structure and function of these new classes of hybrid materials.

The use of rigid and …

Effect Of Tricalcium Silicate Content On Expansion In Internal Sulfate Attack, Troy T. Whitfield

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the cementitious parameters and placement temperature that impact internal sulfate attack in concrete. Concrete structures make up a large percentage of the infrastructure and multifamily housing. Durability is very important. Cements can be formulated to reduce the impact of external environmental exposure such as high salinity from marine environments or high sulfate levels from soils or surface waters. Concrete is also subject to internal attack such as alkali aggregate reaction, (AAR), and delayed ettringite formation, (DEF). This study focused on some of the cement chemistry issues that determine susceptibility of cement to …

Family Affairs Newsletter 2006-06-01, 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.

Masterpiece Or Racist Trash?: Bridgewater Students Enter The Debate Over Huckleberry Finn, Barbara Apstein

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

Research Note: The Missionary Sisters Of Louisburg Square, Patricia J. Fanning

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

Development Of Models For Understanding Causal Relationships Among Activity And Travel Variables, Xin Ye

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding joint and causal relationships among multiple endogenous variables has been of much interest to researchers in the field of activity and travel behavior modeling. Structural equation models have been widely developed for modeling and analyzing the causal relationships among travel time, activity duration, car ownership, trip frequency and activity frequency. In the model, travel time and activity duration are treated as continuous variables, while car ownership, trip frequency and activity frequency as ordered discrete variables. However, many endogenous variables of interest in travel behavior are not continuous or ordered discrete but unordered discrete in nature, such as mode choice, …

Measuring Social Competence In Preschool-Aged Children Through The Examination Of Play Behaviors, Eun-Yeop Lee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For young children, a primary component of social competence is establishing effective interactions with peers during play. To inform the development of practices that promote this competency starting in early childhood, quality assessment measures are needed. These instruments must have the capacity to establish linkages between the home and school as well as utilizing multiple informants. A promising early childhood assessment measure is the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS), which is a rating scale created with parent and teacher versions. Previous research has established its validity for preschoolers from among various populations.

The purpose of this study was to …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Feeding And Food In Three Species Of Mellitid Sand Dollars, Susan Elizabeth Hilber

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sand dollars are abundant and conspicuous macroinvertebrates in sandy habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. They ingest sediment and associated organisms. Given their high abundances, size, and deposit feeding, they likely are the most important consumer coupling primary productivity with the rest of the food chain in these habitats. Moreover, sand dollars bioturbate sediments and affect species diversity and community structure.

Three species of sand dollars in the family Mellitidae,

Mellita tenuis, Encope michelini and Encope aberrans, were studied off the West Coast of Florida. Food and feeding of these sand dollar species were studied to understand their relationship …