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Title: The Quest for Gender-Responsive Planning: A Comprehensive Study of Colombian Municipalities.
Creator: Lozano Torres, Yancili, Doan, Petra L., Brower, Ralph S., Miles, Rebecca, Mason, Patrick L., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department...
Show moreLozano Torres, Yancili, Doan, Petra L., Brower, Ralph S., Miles, Rebecca, Mason, Patrick L., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Urban and Regional Planning
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Abstract/Description: Despite the stereotype as a patriarchal region, several Latin American countries score higher in the global gender gap index than some developed countries. According to the UNWOMEN (2014), these countries are making substantial progress in terms of critical aspects of the feminist agenda, such as political and economic empowerment. In countries like Colombia, a unitary state, the path towards gender equality for women usually starts from nationwide mandatory laws to be implemented at the...
Show moreDespite the stereotype as a patriarchal region, several Latin American countries score higher in the global gender gap index than some developed countries. According to the UNWOMEN (2014), these countries are making substantial progress in terms of critical aspects of the feminist agenda, such as political and economic empowerment. In countries like Colombia, a unitary state, the path towards gender equality for women usually starts from nationwide mandatory laws to be implemented at the local level, where the only form of municipal government is that of a Mayor-Council system. Colombia has nominally strong laws that seek to advance gender equality. However, legalism does not necessarily lead to compliance and, for Colombia, achieving gender-responsive planning (GRP) is a matter that goes beyond the existence of good laws (Lozano-Torres & Doan, forthcoming). What are then the elements that lead to having a Gender Responsive City? What are the conditions that help address gender equality at the local level in countries where mandates come from a central national government? How do these efforts look like in a city’s governance scheme and planning activities? The feminist literature highlights several variables that play an important role in advancing progressive agendas to reduce gender inequalities (Burgess, 2008; Damyanovic & Zibell, 2013). I contend that responsiveness towards women’s needs is a function of the following four dimensions: (1) WHO is doing the planning, (2) for WHOM the plan is done, (3) the INSTITUTIONAL context surrounding the process, and (4) the planning APPROACH used. In other words, GRP depends on having women in power (Park, 2013), the community’s characteristics, the institutional readiness for gender equality, and the planning method. From a sample of 294 Colombian cities, I built an index (GRP) of gender responsiveness using Content Analysis and identified the variables that make a city more gender progressive, using an OLS regression. Results indicate that the responsiveness to women’s needs from a city highly depends on the institutional context surrounding the planning process and the characteristics of the people for whom the plan is done. The WHO dimension was found significant but negative, which needs further research because there was a lack of critical mass of women in power, at less than 20 percent. A Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) of twenty-one cities found that the women’s agenda can be developed in many ways, but its pillars can be divided into crucial, basic, and empowering. The crucial refers to physical integrity of women, while the basic denotes to educational attainment and opportunity. Political participation is the empowering pillar. An analysis of the quantitative and qualitative results showed convergence between GRP level and cities’ program for gender equality for the cities at each end of the spectrum. Divergence was found for five cities that had mixed results. This confirms the importance that each analysis brings in shedding light to a different dimension of gender responsiveness for these cities. This study provides an in-depth quantitative and qualitative analysis that can help planners, public administrators, and decision makers not only understand the variables determining responsiveness to women’s interests, but also define what strategies can be used to achieve gender equality. It also helps to corroborate or dismiss some of planners' assumptions regarding what helps to advance gender equality. Key words: gender equality, gender-responsive planning, local planning, feminist planning, Latin America, Colombia, women, Latinx, representative bureaucracy.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_LozanoTorres_fsu_0071E_15542
Format: Thesis

Title: Interpretations of Santayana and Religion: History, Aesthetics, and Modern Identity.
Creator: Sweatman, Adam K. (Adam Kent), Porterfield, Amanda, Ruse, Michael, Corrigan, John, McVicar, Michael J., Drake, Jamil William, Florida State University, College of Arts and...
Show moreSweatman, Adam K. (Adam Kent), Porterfield, Amanda, Ruse, Michael, Corrigan, John, McVicar, Michael J., Drake, Jamil William, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Religion
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Abstract/Description: Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, better known by his English name George Santayana, was a prominent philosopher, novelist, and poet during the first part of the twentieth century. In this dissertation, I use Santayana’s life and work to argue for the importance of a treatment of aesthetics in the field of religion that considers the way these two overlapping concerns shape conceptions of individual subjectivity. Specifically, I use Santayana’s notion of religion as a type of...
Show moreJorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, better known by his English name George Santayana, was a prominent philosopher, novelist, and poet during the first part of the twentieth century. In this dissertation, I use Santayana’s life and work to argue for the importance of a treatment of aesthetics in the field of religion that considers the way these two overlapping concerns shape conceptions of individual subjectivity. Specifically, I use Santayana’s notion of religion as a type of poetic production to point to the way aesthetics can provide discursive tools for analyzing the way consciousness is perceived and articulated by subjects in modernity. I term Santayana’s method “plastic religion” for its emphasis on the way subjectivity both shapes and is shaped by encounters with the environment. This work compliments traditional approaches to aesthetics in the field of American religious history which emphasize sensory data as evidence of commercial activity and institution-building, while also suggesting that this information provides historians a unique perspective through which they can engage critically with identity formation and expression. In this dissertation, I take up Santayana as the explicit subject, but I also view his insistence that religion and poetry are bound together as methodologically instructive. In each chapter, I offer historically-minded readings of Santayana’s life and writing regarding religion that also present interpretive approaches that account for aesthetics. Chapter One provides an overview of Santayana’s life and work framed around three instances of metanoia, or conversion. Typically translated as a “change of heart,” the term metanoia has both theological and poetic connotations that suggest the reformation of perception. Santayana used the term in his autobiography to describe a moment in 1893 when, after experiencing a series of personal tragedies, his sense of self was altered, and he became committed to living a life of personal and professional detachment. In this chapter, I suggest that, in keeping with Santayana’s use of the term, moments in which the self-conception of a subject is dramatically altered can be located in documentary evidence and can help shape the framework of biographical narrative. Chapter Two maps the career-spanning debates between Santayana and William James, Josiah Royce, and John Dewey regarding the relationship between religion and experience. Using Santayana’s description of American philosophy’s division between “the skyscraper” and “the colonial manse” as a general spatial metaphor, I argue that Santayana’s understanding of religion’s plasticity was influenced by his debates with Royce and James, and affirmed later in his life through his public back-and-forth with Dewey. I also use this chapter to position Santayana in relation to the idealism, pragmatism, and naturalism that were prevalent over the course of his life in his philosophical environment. Chapter Three describes in detail Santayana’s definition of religion as a type of poetic expression as contained in his book Interpretations of Religion and Poetry, and it positions this perspective in the broader aesthetic tradition of American spirituality as described by historians William Clebsch and Henry Samuel Levinson. According to Clebsch and Levinson, individuals within the aesthetic tradition of American spirituality treat religion as a process of creative consciousness building using responses to existing traditions and their own experience. This religious style began with Jonathan Edwards and then carries on through Ralph Waldo Emerson, William James, and Santayana. I define Santayana’s position as “plastic religion” for the emphasis it places on the creation of reality, for the subject and for the surrounding environment, through form. Chapter Four outlines the manner in which Santayana’s understanding of religion’s plasticity shaped his approach to the curation of his national, racial, and religious identity. I argue that Santayana’s perspective on the ability of the individual to exercise agency when directing their perception was endowed by his view of religion. I also indicate the way this allowed him to translate philosophic notions of the self to expressions of cultural identity. For Santayana, this approach made it possible to navigate the complex terrain of his own “variations,” but it also, at times, left him vulnerable to the harboring of prejudice. Chapter Five examines the influence Santayana’s treatment of religion had on a diverse array of individuals during the 20th century. Alfred North Whitehead, the English mathematician and philosopher, found in Santayana’s discussion of religion a critical tool for his understanding of religious difference. Alain Locke, the leader of the New Negro movement in the 1920s, drew on Santayana’s description of religion when formulating his views on value relativism and cultural pluralism. Russell Kirk, the Catholic traditionalist, understood Santayana as a vital link in the progression of conservative thought.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Sweatman_fsu_0071E_15462
Format: Thesis

Title: The relationships among perfectionism, dysfunctional career thoughts, and career indecision.
Creator: Osborn, Debra S., Sampson, James P., Oosterhof, Albert, Peterson, Gary W., Reardon, Robert C., Florida State University, College of Education, Human Services and Studies Department
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this study was to examine how two variables, perfectionism and dysfunctional career thinking, impact career indecision. The aim of this study was to confirm and expand recent findings that suggest a relationship between these three factors. Given the potential contribution of perfectionism and dysfunctional career thinking to career indecision, the following research question was posed: 1) What is the relationship among perfectionism, dysfunctional career thoughts and career...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to examine how two variables, perfectionism and dysfunctional career thinking, impact career indecision. The aim of this study was to confirm and expand recent findings that suggest a relationship between these three factors. Given the potential contribution of perfectionism and dysfunctional career thinking to career indecision, the following research question was posed: 1) What is the relationship among perfectionism, dysfunctional career thoughts and career indecision? One hundred and twenty-three undergraduate students at Appalachian State University volunteered to participate in this study. Students completed the following inventories: a demographic questionnaire which includes the Occupational Alternatives Question (Zener and Scbuelle, 1976; modified by Slaney, 1980), the Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI; Sampson. Jr., et al., 1996a), the Career Decision Scale (Osipow, et al., 1987), the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS; Frost, et al., 1990a) and the State-Trait Inventory-Form Y (Spielberger, 1977), which was used to control for anxiety. Multiple regression analyses revealed that dysfunctional career thoughts accounted for a large percent of the variance (53%), while perfectionism did not. Significant correlations were found between dysfunctional career thoughts and perfectionism total scales and subscales. Of particular interest were the positive, statistically significant relationships between the Doubt About Actions and Parental Criticism scales of the FMPS and the Commitment Anxiety and External Conflict scales of the CTI, respectively. In addition, trait anxiety did not appear to be as strongly related to perfectionism, dysfunctional career thoughts, or career indecision as previous literature had indicated. Limitations, implications for counseling and recommendations for future research were discussed. It was concluded that dysfunctional career thoughts contribute to career indecision. In addition, the relationships evidenced between subscales of the CTI and FMPS warrant additional research. Perfectionism, as measured by the FMPS, does not appear to be a statistically significant contributor to career indecision. These results suggest that additional research needs to address interventions for identifying, challenging and altering dysfunctional career thoughts, as well as further research on how perfectionism, career indecision and dysfunctional career thoughts are related, perhaps with the use of other multidimensional measures of perfectionism and career indecision.
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Date Issued: 1998-12-01
Identifier: 1998_Fall_Osborn_fsu_9911447
Format: Thesis

Title: Drivers' Perceptions Towards Cyclists and Bikeshare Users in the ECOBICI Service Area.
Creator: Valdez-Torres, Yazmin Jenifer, Duncan, Michael Douglas, Horner, Mark W., Brown, Jeff R., Felkner, John, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreValdez-Torres, Yazmin Jenifer, Duncan, Michael Douglas, Horner, Mark W., Brown, Jeff R., Felkner, John, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Urban and Regional Planning
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Abstract/Description: Despite the rapid global motorization, especially in developing countries, the use of the bicycle as urban transportation has increased in the last 35 years (Shaheen, Guzman, & Zhang, 2012). However, the United States, Canada, and Mexico have low cycling levels with bicycle mode share of little more than one percent (Buehler & Pucher, 2012). Some of the possible alternatives to promote the use of the bicycle is that the presence of bikeshare systems can encourage cycling by providing a safer...
Show moreDespite the rapid global motorization, especially in developing countries, the use of the bicycle as urban transportation has increased in the last 35 years (Shaheen, Guzman, & Zhang, 2012). However, the United States, Canada, and Mexico have low cycling levels with bicycle mode share of little more than one percent (Buehler & Pucher, 2012). Some of the possible alternatives to promote the use of the bicycle is that the presence of bikeshare systems can encourage cycling by providing a safer environment for all types of cyclists (Fischman & Schepers, 2014). This dissertation examines the drivers’ perception towards cyclists and the possible difference in perception towards Ecobici bikeshare users and private cyclists. This research was carried out in Mexico City, at the EcoBici bikeshare service area. Data collection was done by a self-reported survey distributed online and by intercept surveys conducted to drivers who drive within the study area and control area. The analysis of the 710 participants' responses shows that drivers from the control area have a more positive perception towards cyclists, especially on issues related to bicycle investment and bicycle infrastructure. Overall, younger generations reported a more positive perception towards cyclists, and most drivers perceive that cyclists are not predictable on the roads as most of the drivers reported feel nervous when overtaking cyclists. When comparing Ecobici users to private cyclists, the results suggest that drivers do not have a clear preference for Ecobici users over private cyclists. Nevertheless, drivers are also more in favor of encouraging family and friends to use Ecobici bicycles over private bicycles, which could indicate that, unconsciously, participants consider that traveling on an Ecobici bicycle is safer than going on a private bicycle. The results from this study could have an impact on policymakers and transportation practitioners in Mexico City who would like to improve drivers-cyclists’ interactions in the road and to promote the use of the bicycle for transportation.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_ValdezTorres_fsu_0071E_15369
Format: Thesis

Title: Modeling Biofilm on Reactive Surface.
Creator: Wang, Boya, Tang, Youneng, Ordóñez, Juan Carlos, Chen, Gang, Huang, Wenrui, Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental...
Show moreWang, Boya, Tang, Youneng, Ordóñez, Juan Carlos, Chen, Gang, Huang, Wenrui, Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Abstract/Description: Biofilms were first used to treat wastewater in the late 19th century, and still play an important role in today’s wastewater treatment plants. Biofilm model is one of the most essential and powerful tools for studying biofilm process, understanding the mechanisms both inside the biofilm and between the biofilm and outside environment, and controlling the performance of the biofilm reactors. Usually the biofilm grows on inert and impermeable surfaces, but sometimes it develops on ‘active’...
Show moreBiofilms were first used to treat wastewater in the late 19th century, and still play an important role in today’s wastewater treatment plants. Biofilm model is one of the most essential and powerful tools for studying biofilm process, understanding the mechanisms both inside the biofilm and between the biofilm and outside environment, and controlling the performance of the biofilm reactors. Usually the biofilm grows on inert and impermeable surfaces, but sometimes it develops on ‘active’ surfaces, which makes it more challenging to simulate. This dissertation is focused on modeling biofilm on reactive surface. It also develops a method to estimate kinetic parameters of biodegradation to be used in models. Homoacetogenesis and methanogenesis, which usually occur during anaerobic trichloroethene (TCE) dechlorination, affect the removal of TCE and its daughter products. This study develops a one-dimensional, multi-species H2-based biofilm model to simulate the interactions among six solid biomass species (Dehalococcoides, Geobacter, methanogens, homoacetogens, inert biomass (IB), and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)) and 10 dissolved chemical species (TCE, dichloroethene (DCE), vinyl chloride (VC), ethene, hydrogen (H2), methane, acetate, bicarbonate, utilization associated products (UAP), and biomass associated products (BAP)). To evaluate and parameterize the model, parameter values from the literature were input into the model to simulate conditions reported for an experiment. The biomass species distribution in the biofilm and the chemical species concentrations in the reactor effluent at steady state were generally consistent between the experiments and the model. The predicted 15-µm biofilm consisted of three layers, each dominated by a different active biomass type: homoacetogens in the layer next to the membrane, Geobacter in the biofilm surface layer (next to the water), and Dehalococcoides in-between. About two thirds of the TCE was converted to ethene and one third to VC due to the large half-maximum-rate concentration of VC. The effluent concentration of VC is far beyond the drinking-water maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 2 µg/L. To achieve complete removal of TCE, DCE, and VC, we evaluated the influence of various operating conditions like H2 pressure, biofilm detachment rate (kdet), and multiple stages. Through all the simulation results, we demonstrated that VC could be completely removed from the reactor when the H2 pressure was between 0.01 and 0.1 atm and kdet was between 1 and 3.6 cm-1day-1. We also found that a 2-stage system was more efficient than a single-stage reactor. All biofilm models use kinetic parameters of biodegradation. For microbial consortia, the traditional method for kinetic parameter estimation is based on the total biomass concentration and assumes that all the microorganisms are capable of degrading the contaminant. This work proposed an improved method that selects the responsible microbial groups and uses their concentrations for parameter estimation. We conducted batch experiments to track the change of contaminant and biomass concentrations, and used 16s rRNA sequencing to analyze the microbial community. Based on the correlation between the contaminant and microbial abundance, we then found the groups that were likely responsible for bio-degradation of the contaminant. PEST, the industry standard software package for parameter estimation and uncertainty analysis of complex environmental and other computer models, was used to estimate biodegradation parameters. By comparing to the conventional method, we found that the accuracy of this method was higher than that of the conventional method.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Wang_fsu_0071E_15625
Format: Thesis

Title: The Study of Prelithiation Strategy for Graphite/Span Li-Ion Battery.
Creator: Ye, Donghao, Zheng, Jianping, Andrei, Petru, Foo, Simon Y., Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Abstract/Description: Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries with a theoretical specific energy density up to 2600 Wh/kg is regarded as one of the most promising energy chemical power systems. However, the development of Li-S batteries still faces numerous technical challenges. Both sulfur and Li2S is electrically insulating, leading to a low power capability; the polysulfide generated during the charging and discharging processes is highly soluble in electrolytes, resulting in loss of active material and severe redox...
Show moreLithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries with a theoretical specific energy density up to 2600 Wh/kg is regarded as one of the most promising energy chemical power systems. However, the development of Li-S batteries still faces numerous technical challenges. Both sulfur and Li2S is electrically insulating, leading to a low power capability; the polysulfide generated during the charging and discharging processes is highly soluble in electrolytes, resulting in loss of active material and severe redox shuttle effect. To address above these issues, sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) has been developed as a novel composite cathode material. The strong bonding between sulfur and polyacrylonitrile enables SPAN cathode to operate in the commercial carbonate-based electrolyte with an exceptional cycle ability, inhibiting the shuttle effect and self-discharge phenomenon observed in conventional Li-S batteries. In this study, a freestanding SPAN-CNT composites are developed as the cathode material for Li-S batteries, which is capable to deliver a high specific capacity of 1303 mAh/g at 0.2C and a desirable high-rate performance of 1085 mAh/g at 2.0C. Furthermore, Li-ion sulfur full batteries based on SPAN-CNT composites cathode and graphite anode were assembled using a pre-lithiation method. Both the cathode and anode pre-lithiation method was investigated for the optimization of system performance. With a high specific capacity and good cycle life, the proposed Li-ion sulfur full battery system provides an alternative approach to fabricate safe and low-cost metal-free Li-ion batteries.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Ye_fsu_0071N_15578
Format: Thesis

Title: Removal and Recovery of Selenium from Agricultural Drainage Using Microbial Processes.
Creator: Zhang, Zhiming, Tang, Youneng, Ye, Ming, Clark, Clayton J., Chen, Gang, Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Abstract/Description: Selenium is a nutrient for animals and human at low concentrations, but toxic at high concentrations. Agricultural drainage is one type of water that may contain selenium at a high concentration due to seleniferous agricultural soils, which presents hazards to its surrounding biosphere. Microbes can be used to remove selenium from agricultural water by converting dissolved selenate to elemental selenium nanoparticles, which may then be removed or recovered as a valuable resource. However,...
Show moreSelenium is a nutrient for animals and human at low concentrations, but toxic at high concentrations. Agricultural drainage is one type of water that may contain selenium at a high concentration due to seleniferous agricultural soils, which presents hazards to its surrounding biosphere. Microbes can be used to remove selenium from agricultural water by converting dissolved selenate to elemental selenium nanoparticles, which may then be removed or recovered as a valuable resource. However, sulfate is ubiquitous in water systems and the analogous reactions between selenate and sulfate affect the selenate reduction and the downstream elemental selenium purification and recovery. This presents one challenge for selenium recovery. The location of elemental selenium nanoparticles produced by the bacteria is closely relevant to the following recovery, since extracellular selenium nanoparticles are much easier to be recovered than intracellular selenium. Most microbial species either produce intracellular selenium nanoparticles or simultaneously produce extracellular and intracellular selenium nanoparticles. Few species produce only extracellular selenium nanoparticles, which leads to another challenge for selenium recovery. The overall objective of this dissertation is to address the two challenges. Being able to accurately measuring various selenium species is the precondition to addressing the two challenges. Particulate selenium is usually separated from dissolved selenium by centrifugation or filtration, but the separation conditions vary widely and are inconsistent in the literature. By systematically studying the effects of the relative centrifugation force and filter pore size on the separation of particulate selenium from dissolved selenium in typical environmental samples, we found that the relative centrifugation force of ≥ 20,000 g and filter pore size ≤ 20 nm led to complete separation of particulate selenium in general. The presence of other particles and the concentration of particulate selenium affect the separating efficiency by centrifugation and thus should be considered while choosing the appropriate centrifugation condition. To address the first challenge, the effects of sulfate on selenate reduction were studied in a H2-based membrane biofilm reactor. The composition and spatial distribution of biological selenate reduction products were affected by the operating conditions. At a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 0.28 day, selenate was biologically reduced all the way to elemental selenium nanoparticles, which were embedded in the biofilm, suspended in the effluent and precipitated at the bottom of the reactor. With the HRTs decreasing to 0.14 and 0.07 days, selenium sulfides were the dominant particulate selenium products in the effluent, suggesting that the abiotic reaction between selenite (the intermediate of biological selenate reduction) and sulfide (the product of biological sulfate reduction) also occurred. To address the second challenge, a biocathode-based bioelectrochemical reactor was used to eliminate the need for separating intracellular selenium from biomass. The continuous-flow bioelectrochemical reactor removed > 99.6% of the selenate at a selenate surface loading rate of 330 mg Se/m2-day, which was higher than that in most of the conventional biological reactors. The inoculum was a microbial consortium containing both intracellular and extracellular selenium-producing bacteria, but only extracellular selenium nanoparticles were observed when the biocathode was imaged by a transmission electron microscope. To understand the extracellular selenium-producing mechanisms on the biocathodes, 16S rRNA sequencing was used to study the microbial community. Selenate reducing bacteria Azospira oryzae, Desulfovibrio, Stenotrophomonas, and Rhodocyclaceae dominated the cathodic electrode. They were reported to produce both intracellular and extracellular selenium nanoparticles in conventional reactors, but they produced only extracellular selenium nanoparticles on the biocathode. Raman spectrometry further demonstrated the existence of significant Cytochrome c (Cyt c) on the BIOcathode, an enzyme that plays a key role in extracellular electron transfer and subsequent extracellular selenium production. This dissertation is based on and adapted from published journal papers and manuscripts that are ready to submit.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Zhang_fsu_0071E_15643
Format: Thesis

Title: Assembly Mechanisms and Functions of Centrosomal and Non-Centrosomal Microtubule-Organizing Centers.
Creator: Zheng, Yiming, Megraw, Timothy L., Yu, Hong-Guo, Wang, Yanchang, Tomko, Robert J., Florida State University, College of Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences
Abstract/Description: This dissertation focuses on microtubule assembly mechanisms and functions in dividing and non-dividing cells. In dividing cells, centrosome is the major microtubule-organizing center (MTOC). Ninein (Nin) is a centrosomal protein whose gene is mutated in Seckel syndrome, an inherited recessive disease that results in primordial dwarfism, cognitive deficiencies, and increased sensitivity to genotoxic stress. Nin is evolutionarily conserved, yet its role in cell division and development has not...
Show moreThis dissertation focuses on microtubule assembly mechanisms and functions in dividing and non-dividing cells. In dividing cells, centrosome is the major microtubule-organizing center (MTOC). Ninein (Nin) is a centrosomal protein whose gene is mutated in Seckel syndrome, an inherited recessive disease that results in primordial dwarfism, cognitive deficiencies, and increased sensitivity to genotoxic stress. Nin is evolutionarily conserved, yet its role in cell division and development has not been investigated in a model organism. Here, we characterize the single Nin ortholog in Drosophila. Drosophila Nin localizes to the periphery of the centrosome, but not at centriolar structures as in mammals. However, Nin shares the property of its mammalian ortholog of promoting microtubule assembly. In neural and germline stem cells, Nin localizes asymmetrically to the younger (daughter) centrosome, yet it is not required for the asymmetric division of dividing stem cells. Surprisingly, loss of nin expression from a nin mutant does not significantly impact embryonic and brain development, fertility, or locomotor performance of mutant flies, nor their survival upon exposure to DNA damaging agents. While not essential, Nin localizes to non-centrosomal MTOCs (ncMTOCs) in wing epithelia and muscle, two types of specialized and differentiated cell types, suggesting that Nin plays a supportive role in non-centrosomal microtubule organization. ncMTOCs have a variety of roles presumed to serve the diverse functions of the range of non-dividing cell types in which they are found. ncMTOCs are diverse in their composition, subcellular localization, and function. Here we report a novel perinuclear MTOC in another differentiated Drosophila cell type, fat body cells. This perinuclear ncMTOC in fat body cells is anchored by Msp300/Nesprin at the cytoplasmic surface of the nucleus. Msp300 recruits the MT minus-end protein Patronin/CAMSAP, which functions redundantly with Nin to assemble non-centrosomal MTs and does so independently of the widespread MT nucleation factor -tubulin. Patronin does not antagonize with known MT depolymerases in fat body ncMTOC, but acts cooperatively with Ninein to assemble circumferential MTs, and also recruit MT polymerase Msps to promote elongation of radial MTs. Functionally, the fat body ncMTOC is essential for retrograde dynein-dependent endosomal trafficking to restrict plasma membrane growth and for the secretion of basement membrane proteins. Together, we identify an ncMTOC with novel architecture and MT regulation properties that serves a vital secretory function.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Zheng_fsu_0071E_15516
Format: Thesis

Title: Applications of Machine Learning to Precision Medicine.
Creator: Qu, Jinchan, Zhang, Jinfeng, Zhao, Tingting, Tao, Minjing, Wu, Wei, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Statistics
Abstract/Description: Work is presented from two projects, each involving an application of machine learning to precision medicine. The first project was for the Document Triage Task of the BioCreative VI Precision Medicine Track. Teams were asked to build machine learning models to identify journal abstracts that contain at least one mention of a protein-protein interaction (PPI) affected by a mutation. The second project is an analysis of gene expression data from a group of breast cancer patients receiving...
Show moreWork is presented from two projects, each involving an application of machine learning to precision medicine. The first project was for the Document Triage Task of the BioCreative VI Precision Medicine Track. Teams were asked to build machine learning models to identify journal abstracts that contain at least one mention of a protein-protein interaction (PPI) affected by a mutation. The second project is an analysis of gene expression data from a group of breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy to search for biomarkers predicting the outcome of treatment. The model developed for the Biocreative challenge did not use state of the art methods but achieved results only slightly worse than modern deep learning techniques. My contribution to this project was in feature engineering, model tuning and model validation. The feature engineering process will be presented along with a discussion of difficulties due to scarcity of data. The data for the second project was collected from breast cancer patients at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center in Guangzhou China. RNASeq data and clinical information were collected from patients before and after undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Genes and pathways of potential relevance to the outcome of neoadjuvant therapy were identified for further study.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Qu_fsu_0071E_15463
Format: Thesis

Title: Bayesian Hierarchical Models That Incorporate New Sources of Dependence for Boundary Detection and Spatial Prediction.
Creator: Qu, Kai, Bradley, Jonathan R., Niu, Xufeng, Speer, Kevin G. (Kevin George), Huffer, Fred W. (Fred William), Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of...
Show moreQu, Kai, Bradley, Jonathan R., Niu, Xufeng, Speer, Kevin G. (Kevin George), Huffer, Fred W. (Fred William), Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Statistics
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Abstract/Description: Spatial boundary analysis has attained considerable attention in several disciplines including engineering, spatial statistics, and computer science. The inferential question of interest is to identify rapid surface changes of an unobserved latent process. We extend Curvilinear Wombling, the current state-of-art method for point referenced data that is curve measure based and limited to a single spatial scale, to multiscale settings. Specifically, we propose a multiscale representation of the...
Show moreSpatial boundary analysis has attained considerable attention in several disciplines including engineering, spatial statistics, and computer science. The inferential question of interest is to identify rapid surface changes of an unobserved latent process. We extend Curvilinear Wombling, the current state-of-art method for point referenced data that is curve measure based and limited to a single spatial scale, to multiscale settings. Specifically, we propose a multiscale representation of the directional derivative of Karhunen-Lo'eve (DDKL) expansion to perform multiscale direction-based boundary detection. By aggregating curvilinear wombling measure, we extend curvilinear boundary detection from curve to zone. Furthermore, we propose a direction-based multiscale curvilinear boundary error criterion to quantify curvilinear boundary fallacy (CBF), which is an analogue to the ecological fallacy in the spatial change of support literature. We refer to this metric as the criterion for boundary aggregation error (BAGE). Several theoretical results are derived to motivate BAGE. Particularly, we show that no boundary aggregation error exists when directional derivatives of eigenfunctions of a Karhunen-Lo'eve expansion are constant across spatial scales. We illustrate the use of our model through a simulated example and an application of Mediterranean wind measurements. The American Community Survey (ACS) is an ongoing survey administered by the U.S. Census Bureau, which publishes estimates of important demographic statistics over pre-specified administrative areas periodically. Spatially referenced binomial count data are widely present in ACS. Since the sample size of a binomial count is often a realization of a random process, the probability of an outcome and the probability of a trial number are possibly correlated. We consider a joint model for both binomial outcome and the trial number. Latent Gaussian process (LGP) models are widely used to analyze for non-Gaussian ACS count data. However, there are computational problems; for example, LGPs may involve subjective tuning of parameters using Metroplis-Hastings. To improve computational performance of Gibbs sampling, we include the latent multivariate logit-beta distribution (MLB) in our joint model for binomial and negative binomial count data. The closed form full-conditional distributions are straightforward to simulate from without subjective tuning steps within a Gibbs sampler. We illustrate the proposed model through simulations and an application of ACS poverty estimates at the county level.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Qu_fsu_0071E_15498
Format: Thesis

Title: Executive Function Rating Scales: Ecologically Valid or Construct Invalid?.
Creator: Soto, Elia F., Kofler, Michael J., Patrick, Christopher J., Schatschneider, Christopher, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Executive functions in children are commonly measured using rating scales and performance tests. However, replicated evidence indicates weak/non-significant cross-method associations that suggest divergent rather than convergent validity. The current study is the first to investigate relative construct and predictive validities of executive function tests and ratings using multiple cognitively-informed tests, multiple standardized rating scales completed by multiple informants (parents,...
Show moreExecutive functions in children are commonly measured using rating scales and performance tests. However, replicated evidence indicates weak/non-significant cross-method associations that suggest divergent rather than convergent validity. The current study is the first to investigate relative construct and predictive validities of executive function tests and ratings using multiple cognitively-informed tests, multiple standardized rating scales completed by multiple informants (parents, teachers), and both performance-based and ratings-based assessment of a key functional outcome domain with strong theoretical links to executive function (academic achievement). A well-characterized sample of 136 children ages 8-13 (M=10.34, SD=1.53; 48 girls; 68% Caucasian/non-Hispanic) completed a counterbalanced series of executive function and academic tests. Parents and teachers completed executive function ratings; teachers also rated children’s academic performance. As expected, the executive function tests/ratings association was modest (r=.30; p<.001) and significantly lower than the academic tests/ratings association (r=.64; p<.001). Both methods uniquely predicted academic tests and ratings. Relative to ratings, executive function tests showed higher cross-method predictive validity (p=.04) and better mono-method prediction (p=.01); executive function ratings failed to demonstrate improved mono-method prediction (p=.38). These findings support the construct and predictive validity of modern, cognitively-informed executive function tests, while replicating prior evidence that executive function tests and ratings are primarily assessing distinct constructs. Thus, it appears prudent to recommend that researchers and clinicians exercise caution and carefully consider items that comprise ‘executive function’ rating scales when drawing conclusions regarding what these reliable but not currently construct valid rating scales measure – and what they do not measure.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Soto_fsu_0071N_15602
Format: Thesis

Title: Effects of the Novel Cannabinoid, AM11101, on Food Intake, Activity-Based Anorexia, and Neuronal Activity in Brain Areas That Control Food Intake.
Creator: Ogden, Sean Brian, Eckel, Lisa A., Kirby, David, Houpt, Thomas A., Joiner, Thomas, Wang, Zuoxin, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: The endocannabinoid system plays an important role in regulating energy balance. Administration of D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main constituent of the Cannabis sativa plant, increases food intake and decreases energy expenditure by acting on cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R). Despite these well-documented effects, THC treatment has had mixed success in alleviating symptoms and reducing weight loss in anorexia nervosa (AN) patients and in the pre-clinical activity-based anorexia (ABA)...
Show moreThe endocannabinoid system plays an important role in regulating energy balance. Administration of D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main constituent of the Cannabis sativa plant, increases food intake and decreases energy expenditure by acting on cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R). Despite these well-documented effects, THC treatment has had mixed success in alleviating symptoms and reducing weight loss in anorexia nervosa (AN) patients and in the pre-clinical activity-based anorexia (ABA) rodent model of AN. To maximize medicinal benefits while minimizing potential side effects, the novel cannabinoid AM11101 was developed with the goal of having better efficacy than THC in treating AN symptoms. The goal of this dissertation was to provide the first examination of AM11101’s ability to increase food intake in healthy animals, attenuate weight loss in the pre-clinical ABA model, and identify brain areas that are activated by acute AM11101 treatment. In the first study, the orexigenic effects of AM11101 and THC were compared in pre-fed and free-fed female rats. Acute administration of AM11101 increased food intake for up to 4 h in pre-fed rats with no compensatory decrease in subsequent feeding. Although THC increased food intake in pre-fed rats, it was less reliable than AM11101 in increasing food intake in free-fed rats following both acute and chronic administration. Similar to THC, AM11101’s orexigenic effect was mediated by an increase in meal size. The second study examined whether daily treatment with AM11101 or THC would attenuate weight loss in female rats exposed to the ABA paradigm. We found that AM11101-treated rats displayed greater resilience to ABA than THC-treated rats. AM11101 attenuated ABA-induced weight loss and helped to preserve adipose tissue through a reduction in energy expenditure rather than an increase in food intake. Despite the well-characterized orexigenic effects of cannabinoids, the underlying neuronal mechanisms remain poorly understood. In the third study, we used the immunohistochemical detection of cFos, a marker of neuronal activity, to examine the effect of AM11101 treatment on cFos expression in brain areas that control food intake. We also examined whether AM11101 modulates feeding-induced changes in cFos expression. Acute administration of AM11101 produced a robust increase in cFos expression in multiple brain areas that control food intake. AM11101 was also found to increase feeding-induced cFos expression in one of these areas, the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARC). These findings identify multiple brain areas where AM1101 could act to increase meal size. Taken together, these studies demonstrate for the first time that AM11101 increases food intake by a selective increase in meal size, attenuates the development of ABA with improved efficacy over THC, and increases feeding-induced neuronal activation in the ARC, a brain area that plays a critical role in controlling meal size. As such, AM11101 offers a promising new treatment to improve appetite in conditions that are characterized by undernutrition including AN.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Ogden_fsu_0071E_15526
Format: Thesis

Title: Energy Management System for Smart Buildings and Microgrids Using Sampling-Based Model Predictive Control (SBMPC) and Machine Learning.
Creator: Ospina, Juan Jose, Faruque, Md Omar, Ordóñez, Juan Carlos, Anubi, Olugbenga Moses, Foo, Simon Y., Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of...
Show moreOspina, Juan Jose, Faruque, Md Omar, Ordóñez, Juan Carlos, Anubi, Olugbenga Moses, Foo, Simon Y., Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
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Abstract/Description: As the cost of renewable energy resources decreases and environmental concerns, such as global warming, arise, new ways of generating, storing, and using clean energy are being encouraged by governments and organizations around the world. Due to the growing energy demand, the modernization of the power grid has become an immediate priority that is leading to the decentralization of power systems, the creation of transactive energy markets, and the integration of distributed energy resources ...
Show moreAs the cost of renewable energy resources decreases and environmental concerns, such as global warming, arise, new ways of generating, storing, and using clean energy are being encouraged by governments and organizations around the world. Due to the growing energy demand, the modernization of the power grid has become an immediate priority that is leading to the decentralization of power systems, the creation of transactive energy markets, and the integration of distributed energy resources (DER). Traditionally, bulk power generation is based on a unidirectional structure, where electricity is generated on monolithic fossil fuel power plants and is then delivered to customers through different stages of transmission and distribution systems. This classical framework has many disadvantages, including, but not limited to, high inefficiencies and power losses in the system over lengthy transmission and distribution lines, a central point of failure of the system, and the emission of greenhouse gases that contribute to polluting our planet. That is why, progressively, governments and companies are starting to heavily invest in the development of new ways of integrating renewable power generation and DER systems into the modern power grid. The integration and control of these systems are considered essential problems that need to be tackled in order to build the future smart grid and advance universal electrification efforts. However, these systems are still not ready for a harmonious integration to the main electrical grid due to problems related to their intermittent nature and lack of proper control. Additionally, most of these systems still have a high price tag when compared to traditional power generation, and that is why their integration is not seen as a good investment for regular consumers and even large utility companies. Many researchers around the world are currently working on developing methods and frameworks that could allow the harmonious integration of renewable energy systems and other distributed energy resources with the main electrical grid. Nonetheless, since this problem does not have a trivial solution, sophisticated control methods and techniques need to be designed and developed to control DER systems and advance the decentralization of power. This dissertation is focused on the development of novel methods and algorithms, with particular emphasis on energy management applications that can facilitate the integration of DER systems to the modern power grid. This dissertation begins with an in-depth literature review of state-of-the-art energy management controllers designed to control available DERs in microgrids and buildings connected to modern distribution systems. Here, we aim to identify some of the key knowledge gaps present in this area and propose solutions designed to tackle these problems. The second chapter presents an overall review of microgrid systems and all the major components it is composed of. Additionally, it focuses on reviewing the state-of-the-art technologies currently being used and researched in the field of energy management of buildings and microgrids, with a detailed explanation of all the types of control and features these systems could include, like energy management and renewable generation forecasting. In this chapter, we explore some of the current solutions available for energy management systems and present the reason why our approach is being proposed as a cost-effective solution to the energy management problem. After this, the next chapters concentrate on explaining the fundamental theory behind the individual modules required by the proposed control method while proving its applicability in a real-world scenario. The modules developed can be described as follows: 1. A load and generation forecasting module based on a novel short-term PV power forecasting model and a neural network load forecasting model. 2. An energy management controller module based on Sampling-Based Model Predictive Control (SBMPC). The performance of this module is improved using models based on deep reinforcement learning. 3. A controller hardware-in-the-loop (CHIL) testbed designed to test the proposed model in a real-time environment. The development of the forecasting module is the main topic presented in the third chapter of this dissertation. This chapter focuses on exploring the theory behind the development of a novel short-term PV power generation forecasting architecture that significantly improves the performance of PV power forecasting by using a combination of the stationary wavelet transform (SWT), long-short term memory (LSTM) networks, and deep neural networks. The proposed forecasting model exhibits significant performance improvements in metrics such as forecast skill scores and the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) when compared to state-of-the-art models used in short-term PV power forecasting applications. The fourth chapter of this dissertation is concerned with describing the theoretical background and concepts behind the proposed energy management solution. Here, we present an alternative graph-search formulation of the energy management problem and adapt Sampling-Based Model Predictive Control (SBMPC) to solve the formulated optimization problem. Moreover, chapter 5 considers the use of a deep reinforcement learning agent based on an asynchronous advantage actor-critic (A3C) model to enhance the performance of the formulated solution via learning a dynamic sampling process. Finally, chapter 6 focuses on the development of a real-time controller hardware-in-the-loop (CHIL) testbed designed to evaluate and test the proposed solution in a real-time simulated environment. In this chapter, interfacing modules between the external physical controller and the real-time system are developed using standard communication protocols such as TCP/IP and DNP3. In summary, the proposed solutions presented in this manuscript are aimed to improve methods related to the optimal control of DER systems under varying price schemes by leveraging the use of novel control and machine learning techniques. The main objective of this dissertation is to provide a detailed view of the theory behind the development of a proposed energy management solution that aims to minimize the operating cost for consumers and facilitates the integration of distributed energy resources (DER) into our modern power grid.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Ospina_fsu_0071E_15540
Format: Thesis

Title: Measuring Mathematics and Science Teacher Effectiveness Using Advanced Course-Taking in High School.
Creator: Oz, Elif, Preston, Courtney, Schrader, Linda B., Southerland, Sherry A., Iatarola, Patrice, Perez-Felkner, Lara, Florida State University, College of Education, Department of...
Show moreOz, Elif, Preston, Courtney, Schrader, Linda B., Southerland, Sherry A., Iatarola, Patrice, Perez-Felkner, Lara, Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
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Abstract/Description: The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate any variation in the level of mathematics and science courses that students take in high school that can be attributable to the mathematics and science teachers they had in previous grades and explore the relationship between teacher effects on the level of mathematics and science courses that students take and teacher effects on students’ test scores. Using value-added models, I investigated mathematics and science teacher effects on the...
Show moreThe purpose of this dissertation is to investigate any variation in the level of mathematics and science courses that students take in high school that can be attributable to the mathematics and science teachers they had in previous grades and explore the relationship between teacher effects on the level of mathematics and science courses that students take and teacher effects on students’ test scores. Using value-added models, I investigated mathematics and science teacher effects on the level of mathematics and science courses their students take in upper grades in high school. I also compared the estimated teacher effects on course levels with the estimated teacher effects on students test scores. The findings showed that both mathematics and science teachers vary in terms of their students taking higher level, more advanced mathematics and science courses in high school. These teacher effects are persistent across classrooms of teachers and the variation of teacher effects is between 0.11 and 0.15 standard deviation. These variations are more than or equal to the variation of teacher effects on students’ test scores. Moreover, mathematics and science teacher effects on the level of mathematics and science courses their students take in upper grades vary by student characteristics. The largest difference in teacher effects was found between students who receive exceptional education and students who do not receive exceptional education. Finally, this study also showed weak relationships between the estimated teacher effects on the level of mathematics and science courses taken and teacher effects on test scores. This suggests that teachers who increase students’ test scores are not necessarily the ones who also increase their students’ course-level outcomes. Further research is needed to investigate teacher effects on the level of future mathematics and science courses students take in experimental settings. Exploring the mechanism that show the relationship between teachers and the level of courses students is also another area for future research.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Oz_fsu_0071E_15426
Format: Thesis

Title: Active Thermal Management and Fault-Tolerant Control for Switching Power Converters with Sequence-Based Control.
Creator: Ozkan, Gokhan, Pamidi, Sastry V., Ordóñez, Juan Carlos, Edrington, Christopher S., Foo, Simon Y., Anubi, Olugbenga Moses, Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of...
Show moreOzkan, Gokhan, Pamidi, Sastry V., Ordóñez, Juan Carlos, Edrington, Christopher S., Foo, Simon Y., Anubi, Olugbenga Moses, Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
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Abstract/Description: With the developments in semiconductor technology, power electronic devices have had a crucial role in power systems. They are employed in a different variety of applications, including but not limited to energy conversation and grid connection for renewable energy sources, motor drive systems in electric vehicles and industrial systems, and AC/DC power conversion in the ship power system (SPS). Especially, medium-voltage DC (MVDC) distribution systems are highly interested in future ship...
Show moreWith the developments in semiconductor technology, power electronic devices have had a crucial role in power systems. They are employed in a different variety of applications, including but not limited to energy conversation and grid connection for renewable energy sources, motor drive systems in electric vehicles and industrial systems, and AC/DC power conversion in the ship power system (SPS). Especially, medium-voltage DC (MVDC) distribution systems are highly interested in future ship power systems, therefore, power converter devices and their control systems will be commonly used in the ship. The increasingly using of power electronics in power systems leads to new challenges including but not limited to reducing Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) and system cost, improving reliability and lowering the system complexity. In addition, some of the applications may have limited weight and space capacity such as wind turbines and SPS. Thus, the weight and size of the power converter and its cooling system should be taken into account. To minimize the size of the power converters, high-frequency switching is used to reduce the required passive filters. However, this causes additional thermal stress on semiconductor switches due to increasing of the switching losses which also have a negative impact on the cost of energy. Power converters and their control algorithm must provide highly efficient power conversion to reduce the cost of wasted power and energy dissipation to minimize the necessary cooling system. In addition to this, the aging and losses of switching devices in the power converter are mainly related to its junction temperature. One of the main approaches to improve the lifetime of semiconductors is the ability to control the junction temperature of the semiconductor module by controlling the switching losses during the switching state while providing power quality in the required limits and maintaining voltage stability, referred to as active thermal control. Sequence-based control is chosen in this study for its ability to deal with the system nonlinearities, control multiple constraints simultaneously with guaranteeing the system requirements and ensure the stability. The method is developed and the simulation is performed using MATLAB/Simulink software to validate the performance of the algorithm and tune the control parameters. The simulation results show that the proposed method can control the switching losses by influencing the switching sequence for a two-level three-phase active front end rectifier. For the validation, the influence of the proposed method on a two-level three-phase active rectifier is demonstrated experimentally by using Control Hardware-in-the-Loop (CHIL) setup. These will be tested utilizing the Texas Instrument (TI) C2000 XL LaunchPad controller and Opal-RT real-time simulator to perform CHIL experiments.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Ozkan_fsu_0071E_15544
Format: Thesis

Title: Effects of Learning Support in a Math Game on Learners' in-Game Performance, Knowledge Acquisition, and Game Flow.
Creator: Pan, Yanjun, Ke, Fengfeng, Akiba, Motoko, Klein, James D., Dennen, Vanessa P., Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning...
Show morePan, Yanjun, Ke, Fengfeng, Akiba, Motoko, Klein, James D., Dennen, Vanessa P., Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems
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Abstract/Description: Learning support with conceptual and/or procedural knowledge for problem solving is a powerful and frequently used approach to help students improve their academic achievement in GBL. The study is warranted in the body of research on how to design learning support with conceptual and/or procedural knowledge for problem solving in GBL environments in the domain of math learning. A pretest-posttest experimental design was used to examine the effects of the type of learning supports (supports...
Show moreLearning support with conceptual and/or procedural knowledge for problem solving is a powerful and frequently used approach to help students improve their academic achievement in GBL. The study is warranted in the body of research on how to design learning support with conceptual and/or procedural knowledge for problem solving in GBL environments in the domain of math learning. A pretest-posttest experimental design was used to examine the effects of the type of learning supports (supports with conceptual and/or procedural knowledge) for mathematical problem solving in GBL on students’ in-game performance measured by on-task time and time of attempts, mathematical achievement, and game flow. The study incorporates three conditions that are identical with respect to learning objectives (game-based math problem solving) and the learning environment (the GBL environment) but differ in only one variable: learning support. Forty-five participants were recruited from four sixth-grade classes of a charter school in the western United States. Participants in each class session were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions: (a) learning support with procedural knowledge only game playing, (b) learning support with conceptual knowledge only game playing, or (c) learning support with both conceptual and procedural knowledge game playing. Of these recruited 45 participants, 42 completed the entire four-day experiment, but one of them did not complete all the tests and the game flow survey. Thus, data from 42 participants were used to answer the first research question, and data from 41 participants, who completed the entire four-day experiment and finished all tests and surveys, were used to answer the second and the third research questions in the statistical analysis. No significant differences were found among three learning conditions in students’ in-game performance measured by on-task time and number of attempts, and game flow experience. The results indicated that learning support with procedural knowledge only, compared with learning support with both conceptual and procedural knowledge, and that with conceptual knowledge only, was the most significantly effective in promoting students’ math test scores. The current study revealed that different types of learning supports embedded in a game-based learning environment have different effects on the knowledge acquisition of mathematical problem solving. Learning support should be carefully designed and incorporated in the GBL environment. Furthermore, additional learning support is not always beneficial for reaching game flow, and may further interrupt what is enjoyable about the game, which may have a negative effect on learning in a GBL environment. The findings of the current study indicated that participants in the condition of learning support with procedural knowledge only performed better in the post-gaming math tests than the students who were given learning support with both conceptual and procedural knowledge and those with conceptual knowledge only. Moreover, it is important to provide students with learning support that can balance the acquisition of content-specific knowledge and that of content-generic knowledge and diminish the negative effects of players’ technical skills on in-game performance, particularly in a GBL environment that emphasizes high keyboard control (e.g. a 3D game).
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Pan_fsu_0071E_15494
Format: Thesis

Title: Robust Geometric Morphometric Analysis for Surface Meshes.
Creator: Pomidor, Benjamin J., Beerli, Peter, Steppan, Scott J., Cogan, Nicholas G., Meyer-Bäse, Anke, Shanbhag, Sachin, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences,...
Show morePomidor, Benjamin J., Beerli, Peter, Steppan, Scott J., Cogan, Nicholas G., Meyer-Bäse, Anke, Shanbhag, Sachin, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Scientific Computing
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Abstract/Description: Geometric morphometrics has traditionally relied on named anatomical landmarks for the statistical analysis of shape, but that is changing. With the now-widespread availability of 3D surface and volumetric scanning technology, performing shape analysis using high-resolution 3D data is a very active area of research. The method described by Pomidor, Makedonska, and Slice (2016), Generalized Procrustes Surface Analysis (GPSA), is one of many new techniques to analyze the shape of objects using...
Show moreGeometric morphometrics has traditionally relied on named anatomical landmarks for the statistical analysis of shape, but that is changing. With the now-widespread availability of 3D surface and volumetric scanning technology, performing shape analysis using high-resolution 3D data is a very active area of research. The method described by Pomidor, Makedonska, and Slice (2016), Generalized Procrustes Surface Analysis (GPSA), is one of many new techniques to analyze the shape of objects using 3D surfaces instead of landmarks, but is still based on a generalized Procrustes framework. Frequently, surface-based shape analysis methods are limited by the topological properties of the objects being analyzed. In geometric morphometric data sets, one is often working with data sets where connectivity and number of boundary components may differ, and objects may or may not be closed. By continuing development as a generalization of multivariate shape analysis, it is possible to largely circumvent this problem. While methodologically sound, GPSA has several areas that could be improved. It is predicated on a basic version of the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm (a family of methods for image superimposition) and a simple, but weak, set of correspondence rules. This reduces the accuracy of the estimated homology and methods that rely on this estimation. GPSA also operates only on the cloud of points making up a surface and, if one exists, does not make use of the accompanying surface mesh, which makes it highly dependent on the distribution of points in space. The inclusion of a mesh has become relatively standard practice and can be used to significantly improve the superimposition and analysis by allowing calculation of metrics that describe the local shape. The methods for prototype deformation and homologization, both of which are reliant on the estimated homology, only use the prototype-to-sample homology for stability reasons, biasing any resultant analysis towards the mean. Finally, the cost function used during superimposition (point-to-plane ICP) is not derived from the distance metric (Procrustes Surface Metric) used to analyze the objects after superimposition. The two are closely related, so the distance metric is reduced as the ICP cost function is minimized, but they are not identical and thus the distance metric is not optimally minimized by the superimposition. Here, the same generalized Procrustes algorithmic structure used in GPSA is kept, but with several modifications made to offer a more accurate, more efficient, more robust method for surface-based statistical shape analysis. These modifications begin with re-deriving the cost function from a reformulated shape distance metric. This metric is based on the area-weighted vertices of one surface mesh and corresponding points on another mesh, rather than pairs of points in two point clouds. Local shape descriptors and λ|μ smoothing are used to improve the approximated homology. Efficiency is addressed with a better memory management model and a different implementation of the space partitioning tree. A newly defined metric helps determine the quality of a match between two points. These match quality values are used in a resistant-fit extension based on Trimmed ICP to emulate the outlier-resistant behavior of the Generalized Resistant-Fit superimposition method for landmark-based morphometrics. The method is then evaluated using several data sets. Some of these are artificial data sets generated using the Stanford bunny, a surface scan commonly used for testing mesh-based algorithms, while the rest are real-world data sets. These include scans of phytoliths, which are relatively smooth, featureless silicate structures found in plants and a key tool for paleobotanists in reconstructing ancient environments. The scanned phyotliths come from Anomochloa, a genus of grass-like Brazilian plants. The scans of small primate skulls originally used to test GPSA are also used in order to provide a way to compare this improved method to both GPSA and to Generalized Procrustes Analysis (GPA), the standard tool for landmark-based morphometric analysis. No attempt is made to draw any conclusions regarding the biological interpretation of these results; rather, these tests are used to make inferences about the properties of the analysis method. Some of this evaluation is qualitative, such as appraising how sound the topology of the resulting meshes are or interpreting heat maps. The shape distances between the surfaces generated or superimposed during the analysis are used as the basis for quantitative comparison.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Pomidor_fsu_0071E_15566
Format: Thesis

Title: Synthesis of Bioinspired Polymeric Adhesives for Finely Tunable Adhesion, Mechanical, Optical, and Electrically Conductive Properties.
Creator: Pramudya, Irawan, Chung, Hoyong, Schlenoff, Joseph B., Ma, Biwu, Alamo, Rufina G., Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of Chemical and...
Show morePramudya, Irawan, Chung, Hoyong, Schlenoff, Joseph B., Ma, Biwu, Alamo, Rufina G., Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
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Abstract/Description: Bioadhesive is important in many applications especially in medical field, such as drug-carrier, bio-sensing, dental, sealant and tissue adhesive. Bioadhesive as wound closure treatment is more superior than suture, wire, or staple due to its convenience and liquid-tight sealing nature. Moreover, bioadhesive allows to avoid unnecessary additional damage that is caused by penetration of suture and/or staple. For these reasons, a bioadhesive is required to be biocompatible, abundant in nature,...
Show moreBioadhesive is important in many applications especially in medical field, such as drug-carrier, bio-sensing, dental, sealant and tissue adhesive. Bioadhesive as wound closure treatment is more superior than suture, wire, or staple due to its convenience and liquid-tight sealing nature. Moreover, bioadhesive allows to avoid unnecessary additional damage that is caused by penetration of suture and/or staple. For these reasons, a bioadhesive is required to be biocompatible, abundant in nature, biodegradable, well-performed under wet environment such as on living tissue. In this work, wet and dry adhesion property was enhanced by catechol moiety that is inspired from mussel foot adhesive proteins. Moreover, the crosslinking of the adhesive polymer strengthened cohesion of the polymer matrix followed by the resistance of bond separation. The mechanical property of adhesive polymers can be enhanced through the incorporation of organic-inorganic hybrid molecule, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS). By incorporating POSS to an adhesive polymer, compression strength of polymer adhesive was increased by 600% compared to adhesive without POSS. The POSS containing adhesive showed a good biocompatibility when 293-HEK cell lines was cultured in a cell medium containing the polymer. Glucose containing polymer adhesive, poly(2-methacrylamido glucopyranose-co-N-methacryloyl-3,4-dihydroxyl-phenylalanine- co -8-azidooctyl methacrylate) [poly(MG-co-MDOPA-co-AOM)], was also studied, and the adhesion property was strengthened by crosslinking via strain-promoted azide–alkyne cycloaddition of poly(ethyelene glycol)-based crosslinker. In adhesion comparison of two different crosslinker length, the shorter crosslinker presented the better efficiency on adhesion property enhancement. The last developed bioadhesive is an innately biocompatible electrically conductive adhesive (ECA) that is poly(N-methacryloyl-3,4-dihydroxyl-L-phenylalanine-co-3-sulfopropyl methacrylate):poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PMS:PEDOT). The developed ECA demonstrated high conductivity (2.5 S/cm) and strong adhesion property (1.62 MPa). The new ECA also shows many practically beneficial features including metal-free nature, high flexibility, high transparency, light weight, high water dispersity, scalability, and high biocompatibility with human cell line, 293-HEK. The studied bioadhesives shows well-defined chemical structures and precisely controllable crosslinking chemistry. Because the crosslinking and bioinspired catechol moiety of polymers significantly enhanced adhesion strength together with extraordinary functionalities, those newly developed bioadhesives polymers will contribute to various biomedical applications.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Pramudya_fsu_0071E_14961
Format: Thesis

Title: Socially Mediated Plasticity and Polymorphism: Integrating Theory and Experiment to Predict Alternative Phenotypes.
Creator: Lange, Elizabeth C., Hughes, Kimberly A., Hull, Elaine M., Travis, Joseph, DuVal, Emily H., Levitan, Don R., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department...
Show moreLange, Elizabeth C., Hughes, Kimberly A., Hull, Elaine M., Travis, Joseph, DuVal, Emily H., Levitan, Don R., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biological Science
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Abstract/Description: Understanding the maintenance of phenotypic variation within populations has long been a puzzle in evolutionary biology. Many models ignore that fact that animals are not living alone; instead social factors have the potential to alter the development and fitness consequences of alternative phenotypes to promote variation in many systems. Furthermore, while there is empirical evidence that individuals alter phenotypes in response to social cues, it is unclear under what conditions socially...
Show moreUnderstanding the maintenance of phenotypic variation within populations has long been a puzzle in evolutionary biology. Many models ignore that fact that animals are not living alone; instead social factors have the potential to alter the development and fitness consequences of alternative phenotypes to promote variation in many systems. Furthermore, while there is empirical evidence that individuals alter phenotypes in response to social cues, it is unclear under what conditions socially-cued plasticity will evolve and be adaptive. My dissertation research combines theory with developmental experiments in sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna) to understand if and how individuals alter phenotypes in response to social cues. The first chapter of my dissertation uses an individual-based modelling approach to determine if and when individuals should evolve a strategy that uses social cues during development to alter the expression of alternative phenotypes. We found that socially-cued plasticity evolves under limited conditions where selection acts on survival differences between alternative phenotypes and the expression of socially-cued plasticity is costly. Socially-cued plasticity was not adaptive when selection acted on fecundity. Because costs facilitated the evolution of adaptive socially-cued plasticity, our results suggest that socially-cued plasticity is a special case of plasticity where general models do not hold. Furthermore, we found that socially-cued plasticity is a self-limiting strategy; using social cues to alter phenotypes in adulthood was most likely to evolve when the majority of the population was not using socially-cued plasticity; this scenario allowed social cues to be reliable predictors of environmental conditions. In the second and third chapter of my dissertation, I used sailfin mollies to determine how species with alternative reproductive phenotypes (ARPs) alter their life history and mating behavior in response to social cues during development. Sailfin mollies are a livebearing fish that exhibit extensive variation in body size and correlated traits including age at maturity, morphology and mating behavior, both within and between populations. Together these traits make up a male's ARP. Smalls males mature quickly (50-60 days) and use their disproportionally longer intromittent organ in sneaking behavior. Large males take longer to mature (130-150 days) and use their disproportionally larger dorsal fins in courtship displays to entice female cooperation in mating. Intermediate-sized males, which are intermediate in morphology and time to maturity, switch between courting and thrusting depending on the social context. Previous studies have examined the role of abiotic environmental factors on male ARP in mollies, but found that these factors cannot account for the observed inter- and intra-population variation. Since mollies are gregarious and social environment has been shown to influence adult male behavior, we hypothesize that variability in social conditions can influence the relationships between genotype and phenotype to produce ARP variation. My second chapter describes an experimental study where we examined the relationship between genotype and phenotype by determining how the variation in social environment during development influenced sex-specific differences in life history phenotypes. We found that both variation in the social environment influences life history development in both males and females, but there were sex-specific differences in how social environment modulated the genotype-phenotype relationship. These results suggest that social environment is an important driver of life history differences in sailfin mollies. My final experiment tested the hypothesis that social environment during development affects male alternative mating behaviors. We found that courtship and sneaking behaviors were affected by variation in the social environment, but these effects manifested in complex interactions between experimental treatments. For example, the relationship between body size and courtship displays was affected by a genotype by social environment interaction, and there was a three-way interaction between genotype, developmental stage, and the male’s own body size. In addition,. These results implicated alternative reproductive morph, social environment during development, stage, and body size as non-independent factors in the expression of male ARPs. Results from my dissertation demonstrate that conditions for adaptive evolution of socially-cued plasticity are limited, but despite this, variation in social cues elicited substantial variation in life history and behavior, in ways not accounted for by current life history or sexual selection theory. These seemingly paradoxical results may be resolved by considering the natural history of mollies. Sailfin molly males of different ARPs have differences in survival and therefore results from the modelling chapter suggest mollies may be a system where socially-cued plasticity would evolve. To determine if the patterns observed in this dissertation are adaptive, or are accounted for by gene flow, by exposing animals to social environments they would not typically encounter in nature, or by other non-adaptive processes, future studies should assess mortality in different social environments and reproductive success to determine how social environment affects fitness. Taken together, my dissertation provides a better understanding of how phenotypic plasticity evolves and how social environment affects life history and mating behaviors.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Lange_fsu_0071E_15531
Format: Thesis

Title: Job Crafting as a Response to Perceptions of Organizational Politics: A Mediation and Moderation Model.
Creator: Lawong, Diane Afoni, Ferris, Gerald R., Hochwarter, Wayne A., Scott, Maura L., Daniels, Shanna Richards, Fiorito, Jack Thomas, Florida State University, College of Business,...
Show moreLawong, Diane Afoni, Ferris, Gerald R., Hochwarter, Wayne A., Scott, Maura L., Daniels, Shanna Richards, Fiorito, Jack Thomas, Florida State University, College of Business, Department of Management
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Abstract/Description: The research on the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics (POPs) and various outcomes has been continuously popular for the last 30 years since the first POPs model was introduced in 1989. Recent examinations of the POPs-outcomes relationships consider the intermediate linkages between the two. This dissertation presents unique and previously unexamined mediating conditions that offer alternative explanations of how POPs affects job crafting. Adopting theoretical...
Show moreThe research on the relationship between perceptions of organizational politics (POPs) and various outcomes has been continuously popular for the last 30 years since the first POPs model was introduced in 1989. Recent examinations of the POPs-outcomes relationships consider the intermediate linkages between the two. This dissertation presents unique and previously unexamined mediating conditions that offer alternative explanations of how POPs affects job crafting. Adopting theoretical foundations from self-determination theory, the psychological needs paradigm is used to explain how the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness motivate individuals who perceive organizational politics to engage in job crafting as an attempt to regain control at work. Furthermore, this dissertation examines the use of political skill as an effective tool that can aid individuals to successfully capitalize on job crafting opportunities and achieve their desired outcomes. Results from two samples (n = 272) and (n = 273) demonstrated that political skill moderates the relationship between job crafting and the following work outcomes: work frustration, emotional exhaustion, job strain, and job satisfaction. The hypothesis that need satisfaction would mediate the relationship between POPs and job crafting was not supported. However, POPs demonstrated significant direct effects on job crafting. This dissertation expands our knowledge and understanding of the use of political skill at work, and how employees can react positively (via job crafting) to POPs. Strengths, limitations, future directions, and contributions to both theory and practice are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Lawong_fsu_0071E_15632
Format: Thesis

Title: Space Struck.
Creator: Lewis, Paige, Kimbrell, James, Kalbian, Aline H., Kirby, David, Hamby, Barbara, Epstein, Andrew, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English
Abstract/Description: Andre Breton states poetry is “a room of marvels.” Every poem in Space Struck could be considered its own room—heck, stanza is Italian for room—with tall doors and portraits of influential poets (and scientists and saints and psychiatrists and lovers and everyone else who has indelibly inflected the algorithms of my thinking) hanging on the walls. The house was erected to contain all my myriad obsessions—including my own predilection to obsessiveness, but also poetry, the body, history, faith...
Show moreAndre Breton states poetry is “a room of marvels.” Every poem in Space Struck could be considered its own room—heck, stanza is Italian for room—with tall doors and portraits of influential poets (and scientists and saints and psychiatrists and lovers and everyone else who has indelibly inflected the algorithms of my thinking) hanging on the walls. The house was erected to contain all my myriad obsessions—including my own predilection to obsessiveness, but also poetry, the body, history, faith, astronomy. Always, back to astronomy. My first crush as a young child was Galileo, and that passionate interest in the vertiginous infinite has never really receded for me (though it has certainly sublimated into healthier, more lyric forms). The manuscript is designed to walk the reader through each of my rooms with humility and wonder, eagerly discovering the marvel each poem holds within its wooden chests.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Lewis_fsu_0071E_15534
Format: Thesis

Title: Effects of Developmental Nicotine Exposure on the Brain and Behavior.
Creator: Martin, Melissa M., Bhide, Pradeep, Dennis, Jonathan Hancock, Nowakowski, Richard S., Stanwood, Gregg, Metin, Christine, Florida State University, College of Medicine,...
Show moreMartin, Melissa M., Bhide, Pradeep, Dennis, Jonathan Hancock, Nowakowski, Richard S., Stanwood, Gregg, Metin, Christine, Florida State University, College of Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences
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Abstract/Description: Cigarette smoking during pregnancy is a major public health concern, resulting in detrimental health effects in the mother and her offspring. The adverse behavioral consequences for children with developmental nicotine exposure include increased risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, working memory deficits, epilepsy, novelty-seeking, and risk-taking behaviors. Interestingly, these behavioral conditions are consistent with altered inhibitory (GABA) neurotransmitter signaling....
Show moreCigarette smoking during pregnancy is a major public health concern, resulting in detrimental health effects in the mother and her offspring. The adverse behavioral consequences for children with developmental nicotine exposure include increased risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, working memory deficits, epilepsy, novelty-seeking, and risk-taking behaviors. Interestingly, these behavioral conditions are consistent with altered inhibitory (GABA) neurotransmitter signaling. Therefore, the goal of my dissertation research was to test the hypothesis that early exposure to nicotine alters the development of the GABA system, which can produce functional changes in the brain. In order to test the hypothesis that developmental nicotine exposure produces long-lasting effects in the adult mouse brain, specifically the GABA system, I used a GAD67-GFP knock-in mouse in which GFP is intrinsically expressed under the GAD67 promoter. I first examined GABA neuron numerical densities, non-GABA neuron numerical densities, as well as the GABA-to-non-GABA neuron ratio for male and female offspring that received plain drinking water (WATER) or drinking water containing either 100 µg/ml (Nic100) or 200 µg/ml (Nic200) nicotine during development. I performed these analyses in the prefrontal and medial prefrontal cortices, two brain regions which are important for executive function and regulate behaviors known to be altered in developmental disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In addition, these frontal cortical brain regions were subdivided into cortical layers (II-III, V, and VI) since each cortical layer is defined based on their cortical connections and hence have different functions. Overall, I found that developmental nicotine exposure does not alter the numerical density of GABA or non-GABA cells in the frontal cortex, however, I saw a significant reduction in the GABA-to-non-GABA ratio in the Nic200 treatment group compared to the WATER and Nic100 groups across both brain regions (prefrontal and medial prefrontal cortices) and across all cortical layers. Next, in order to test the hypothesis that developmental nicotine exposure produces long-lasting effects on behavioral phenotypes, I performed a battery of tests that examined locomotor activity, approach-avoidance behavior, exploratory behavior, spatial working memory, and object-based attention beginning at 90 days of age. Since I found a significant reduction in the GABA-to-non-GABA ratio for the Nic200 treatment group and not for the Nic100 group, I performed behavioral analyses in the WATER and Nic200 treatment groups. For these analyses, I used both male and female offspring as well as GAD67-GFP and wild-type offspring. I found that developmental nicotine exposure increases novelty-induced locomotor activity, increases exploratory behavior, and alters approach-avoidance behavior in favor of the approach behavior. During embryonic development, the majority of the GABA neurons originate in the medial ganglionic eminence of the basal forebrain and migrate tangentially to regions of the dorsal forebrain. At the same time, neurogenesis in the ventricular and subventricular zones is occurring in the dorsal forebrain. Therefore, I wanted to examine the immediate effects of developmental nicotine exposure on GABA neuron migration and neurogenesis in the embryonic brain. To do this, I collected the brains from embryonic day 13 and 15 embryos; two time points during embryonic development in which GABA neurons are migrating through regions of the dorsal forebrain and neurogenesis is occurring in the dorsal forebrain. Using GAD67-GFP embryos, I found that nicotine exposure significantly increases the number of GABA neurons in the prefrontal and medial prefrontal cortices. Similarly, using an in-vitro culture assay, nicotine exposure increased the number of GABA neurons migrating out from a medial ganglionic eminence explant. Taken together these results suggest that nicotine exposure during embryonic development alters GABA neuron migration. In addition, using wild-type embryos, I found that nicotine exposure significantly reduces the cell output in the future prefrontal and medial prefrontal cortices. Overall, developmental nicotine exposure produced dose-dependent decreases in GABA-to-non-GABA neuron ratios in the prefrontal and medial prefrontal cortices without perturbing the intrinsic differences in cortical thickness and laminar distribution of GABA or non-GABA neurons between these regions. A significant increase in exploratory behavior and a shift toward “approach” in the approach-avoidance paradigm were also observed. Thus, developmental nicotine exposure shifts the cortical excitation-inhibition balance toward excitation and produces behavioral changes consistent with novelty-seeking behavior. Lastly, I found that nicotine exposure during embryonic development produces a significant increase in GABA neuron migration and reduces the cell output in the dorsal forebrain. Collectively, these results suggest that developmental nicotine exposure alters embryonic brain development and that continued exposure during the embryonic and early postnatal period produces long-lasting structural and functional changes in the brain.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Martin_fsu_0071E_15481
Format: Thesis

Title: Study of Ibuprofen Degradation by Photocatalysis Using Electroless Deposited Zero Valent Iron on TiO2-Pd as a Catalyst.
Creator: Mendi, Naveen Prasad, Kalu, E. Eric, Yeboah, Yaw D., Chung, Hoyong, Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
Abstract/Description: Ibuprofen concentration level in the groundwater, river and waste water has been increasing over time. This may affect the aquatic environment in ways that may threaten the growth of some species of aquatic life, in some cases mutilation of the organisms including those that are a part of our daily diet like Oreochromis Niloticus (tilapia). To prevent this, there is a need to degrade Ibuprofen into less toxic components that can exist in nature. Zero valent iron nanoparticles have been used...
Show moreIbuprofen concentration level in the groundwater, river and waste water has been increasing over time. This may affect the aquatic environment in ways that may threaten the growth of some species of aquatic life, in some cases mutilation of the organisms including those that are a part of our daily diet like Oreochromis Niloticus (tilapia). To prevent this, there is a need to degrade Ibuprofen into less toxic components that can exist in nature. Zero valent iron nanoparticles have been used and found to be excellent material for the degradation of many halogenated organic compounds for environmental remediation. In the present work, titanium dioxide was used as a support for the deposition of zero valent iron that was used to degrade IBP. The photocatalytic activity of TiO2 for the degradation of IBP was compared to those of Pd-catalyzed TiO2 and TiO2 deposited with zero-valent iron nanoparticles at different deposition times. The results show that the TiO2 deposited with zero-valent iron for 90 minutes provided the highest degradation of IBP with complete degradation of IBP. The reason for the high performance of the 90 minute zero-valent iron was explained as the decrease in primary particle size upon suspension in IBP solution weakening the chances to form aggregates and weak agglomerates compared to TiO2-Pd and TiO2 catalysts. Increase in ZVI from the electroless deposition has increased the cations Fe2+ and Fe3+ in the IBP solution facilitating for the increase of photocatalytic activity of TiO2 allowing to perform degradation of IBP better than the other two catalysts.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Mendi_fsu_0071N_14932
Format: Thesis

Title: Benthic Oxygen Flux Estimates for Carbonate Reef Sands Determined with an Improved Aquatic Eddy Covariance Instrument.
Creator: Merikhi, Alireza, Huettel, Markus, Wulff, Janie L., Baco-Taylor, Amy R. (Amy Rose), Berg, Peter, Kranz, Sven Alexander, Speer, Kevin G. (Kevin George), Florida State University,...
Show moreMerikhi, Alireza, Huettel, Markus, Wulff, Janie L., Baco-Taylor, Amy R. (Amy Rose), Berg, Peter, Kranz, Sven Alexander, Speer, Kevin G. (Kevin George), Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science
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Abstract/Description: Carbonate sands are an integral part of coral reef environments but their role in the cycling of matter in the reef is understudied. Methods such as micro-profiling, core incubations, in-situ chamber incubations, and aquatic eddy covariance measurements can be used to study solute fluxes and biogeochemistry of these sediments. The interfacial fluxes can reveal production and degradation processes in the sands and thereby provide key information on the role of these sediments in the cycles of...
Show moreCarbonate sands are an integral part of coral reef environments but their role in the cycling of matter in the reef is understudied. Methods such as micro-profiling, core incubations, in-situ chamber incubations, and aquatic eddy covariance measurements can be used to study solute fluxes and biogeochemistry of these sediments. The interfacial fluxes can reveal production and degradation processes in the sands and thereby provide key information on the role of these sediments in the cycles of matter in the coral reef. To date, the eddy covariance technique is the most advanced method for measuring the solute fluxes noninvasively. The traditional eddy covariance method employs a solute sensor (e.g. oxygen sensors) and an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV). We developed a triple O2-sensor-eddy covariance instrument that provides a hardware solution minimizing time-lag errors arising from the physical separation of the O2 sensor and the velocity sensor measuring volume, which affects the measurements in the traditional instrument. These errors are most pronounced in environments with currents and waves, and are difficult to correct through data processing. Oxygen flux measurements with the aquatic eddy covariance technique in benthic environments with wave action and/or highly varying current direction can lead to erroneous flux estimates due to the transient time-lag between the velocity and oxygen concentration measurements. By positioning the oxygen sensors in the same horizontal plane and with 120 degrees radial spacing around the center point where current flow is measured, synoptic oxygen measurements are recorded with opposing time-lags. Averaging of the three sensor signals at each time point produces an oxygen concentration closely corresponding to that at the flow measuring point, and thus, at a position that does not require time-lag correction. Field tests with the new instrument in a coral reef sand flat affected by waves demonstrated the advantages of the new instrument setup, and simultaneously allowed evaluation of the magnitude of errors that are associated with the traditional time-lag correction. Model simulations of the 3 sensors system in a known oscillating oxygen distribution field suggests that the new 3 oxygen sensor eddy covariance (3OEC) system can reduce time-lag error by at least five-fold. We conclude that the new system can improve oxygen flux estimates significantly, while simplifying the processing of the aquatic eddy covariance data. Another factor that may impose errors in the calculated fluxes by the aquatic eddy covariance method is the slow response of the solute sensors which may dampen the recorded dataset. To overcome this issue, we developed an instrument by which reliable and reproducible measurements of the response time of the sensors is possible. We used this method to select the sensors that we installed on our improved eddy covariance instrument. We used the improved aquatic eddy covariance instrument in a Florida coral reef sand flat to quantify benthic oxygen fluxes as proxy for benthic metabolism. The non-invasive measurements characterize the carbonate sands as sites of intensive organic matter production and consumption, and underline their dependency on key environmental drivers such as light, water current velocity, and significant wave height. The positive response to light and increasing light intensity were characterized by large temporal dynamics even at ~9 m water depth. Daytime fluxes reached 2.3 ± 2.0 (Mean ± SE) mmol m-2 h-1 and nighttime fluxes -2.0 ± 0.7 (Mean ± SE) mmol m-2 h-1. Spring deployments indicated net autotrophy of the sedimentary environment, while summer and winter measurements implied a metabolic balance. During summer, an increase in bottom currents correlated with an increase in sediment oxygen uptake during daytime and nighttime, reflecting enhanced benthic organic matter mineralization activity during the warm season. The oxygen fluxes reveal their role in the reef sands as hotspots of benthic carbon cycling.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Merikhi_fsu_0071E_15529
Format: Thesis

Title: A Predictive Model of Design Performance for Lithium-Ion Capacitors.
Creator: Moye, Davis George, Foo, Simon Y., Meyer-Bäse, Anke, Andrei, Petru, Roberts, Rodney G., Yu, Zhibin, Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of...
Show moreMoye, Davis George, Foo, Simon Y., Meyer-Bäse, Anke, Andrei, Petru, Roberts, Rodney G., Yu, Zhibin, Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
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Abstract/Description: Recent years have seen developments in lithium-ion capacitor (LIC) technology. However, there has been scant work in mathematical models to predict the performance of LICs. Existing models have focused upon cell degradation over time or simple Randles circuits to describe laboratory work. Experimentalists have determined that LICs’ energy storage capabilities are inversely proportional to their charge or discharge (dis/charge) current. But this phenomenon is not well understood, a serious...
Show moreRecent years have seen developments in lithium-ion capacitor (LIC) technology. However, there has been scant work in mathematical models to predict the performance of LICs. Existing models have focused upon cell degradation over time or simple Randles circuits to describe laboratory work. Experimentalists have determined that LICs’ energy storage capabilities are inversely proportional to their charge or discharge (dis/charge) current. But this phenomenon is not well understood, a serious barrier to LIC market entry as designers struggle to predict the energy storage of LICs under design. This study begins with an experiment on applying lithium to LICs. Then it discusses a study on the cycle life of LICs. Earlier studies had found the degradation of LICs cycled at constant current but different temperatures can be described by an Arrhenius equation. This cycle life study found that when an LIC is cycled at a constant temperature but different cycle currents the results can also be described by an Arrhenius equation, which can be derived from the Arrhenius equation describing degradation as a function of current. The Butler-Volmer equation anticipates these results because it predicts direct proportionality between a LIC’s cycle current and temperature. The predictive model, which comprises the bulk of this research, began with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy experiments (EIS) on an LIC to build a Randles equivalent circuit model (ECM) describing the same LIC. This LIC was then charged at several constant powers, recording the stored energy. Using the Randles ECM, simulated LICs were charged at these same constant powers, yielding high fidelity at low power but significant error at high power. In order to solve this high power inaccuracy, all of the experimentally-derived values, except for the series resistance and Warburg resistance, were replaced by physics equations that would compute these values. The Butler-Volmer equation was manipulated to express dis/charge current in terms of temperature, which computed the Warburg capacitance and dis/charge transfer resistance, key elements in a Randles ECM. This change yielded an accurate energy computation, but not an accurate voltage computation. Furthermore, the temperature values computed by the Butler-Volmer equation were unrealistic and could not be reconciled mathematically. The next iteration of the study involved in situ temperature measurements of LICs during dis/charge cycles. These in situ measurements indicated that temperature change is only observed during low power dis/charges, and even then it is <1% of absolute temperature. This indicates that although the Butler-Volmer equation can express LIC temperature in terms of dis/charge current, temperature can be treated as a constant without much loss in model fidelity. Warburg impedance was observed to be computed in terms of temperature and is almost constant, like temperature. Series resistance negligibly affects voltage change or energy stored in an LIC. This is the first known physics-based model to predict an LIC’s energy storage as a function of its dis/charge current and constituent components. This model also explains the current-energy inverse relationship observed in LICs using a new derivation of the Butler-Volmer equation. This model may have significant commercial value for LIC designers in the future as it eliminates a significant barrier to market entry.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Moye_fsu_0071E_15490
Format: Thesis

Title: The Molecular-Genetic Basis of Sex-Specific Behaviors.
Creator: Newell, Nicole R., Arbeitman, Michelle N. (Michelle Nina), Hughes, Kimberly A., Megraw, Timothy L., Horabin, Jamila I., Florida State University, College of Medicine, Department...
Show moreNewell, Nicole R., Arbeitman, Michelle N. (Michelle Nina), Hughes, Kimberly A., Megraw, Timothy L., Horabin, Jamila I., Florida State University, College of Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences
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Abstract/Description: Understanding the neural and genetic basis of complex behaviors is a major outstanding question in neurobiology. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, displays innate, complex reproductive behaviors. These behaviors are regulated by transcription factors encoded by fruitless (fru) and doublesex (dsx). Both fru and dsx are sex-specifically spliced downstream of the sex determination hierarchy, resulting in production of male-specific isoforms of Fru and Dsx and a female-specific isoform of...
Show moreUnderstanding the neural and genetic basis of complex behaviors is a major outstanding question in neurobiology. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, displays innate, complex reproductive behaviors. These behaviors are regulated by transcription factors encoded by fruitless (fru) and doublesex (dsx). Both fru and dsx are sex-specifically spliced downstream of the sex determination hierarchy, resulting in production of male-specific isoforms of Fru and Dsx and a female-specific isoform of Dsx. These transcription factors direct sex differences in behavior by regulating expression of downstream genes. fru is a complex locus and only transcripts from the P1 promoter (fru P1) are sex-specifically spliced to generate male-specific isoforms (FruM). To gain insight into gene expression differences in fru P1-expressing neurons between males and females, we used Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification (TRAP). The results of this study and other studies led us to examine a family of proteins with known functions in synaptic connectivity encoded by defective proboscis extension response (dpr) and Dpr Interacting Protein (DIP) genes. We examined the co-expression of dprs/DIPs with fru P1 neurons. We found the majority of dprs/DIPs are co-expressed with fru P1-expressing neurons in both males and females, but with distinct patterns. When we activate and silence subsets of fru P1 neurons that overlap with dpr/DIP- expressing neurons, particular courtship phenotypes are observed, allowing us to assign functions to subpopulations of neurons. Overall, this work contributes to our understanding of how FruM is specifying and maintaining the neural circuitry for male courtship behavior, with a focus on the regulation and function of the dprs and DIPs. We also focus on the regulation of female reproductive behaviors, by examining interactions between the germline and female head tissues. We examined gene expression changes in head tissues of females with and without a germline, as virgins and at one- and three- day(s) post-mating, as well as in females that had been mated to males lacking a germline. A set of female post-mating behaviors was also characterized. Additionally, we performed a genome-wide association study which led to the identification of polymorphisms that contribute to natural variation of female re-mating behavior. Together, these studies provide insight into the molecular-genetic control of female reproduction.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Newell_fsu_0071E_15487
Format: Thesis

Title: Constructing a Single-Cell Transcriptomic Atlas of Cells Regulating Drosophila Oogenesis and Ovulation and Understanding the Role of Notch Signaling during Development and Tumorigenesis.
Creator: Jevitt, Allison M., Deng, Wu-Min, Jones, Kathryn M., Megraw, Timothy L., Hughes, Kimberly A., Lenhert, Steven John, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences,...
Show moreJevitt, Allison M., Deng, Wu-Min, Jones, Kathryn M., Megraw, Timothy L., Hughes, Kimberly A., Lenhert, Steven John, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biological Science
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Abstract/Description: The Drosophila ovary is an important model system for studying oogenesis and has provided insight into broader, biological topics such as stem cell niche, differentiation, migration, morphogenesis, signaling, cell-size regulation, and tumorigenesis. The purpose of this dissertation was to build a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic atlas of cells regulating oogenesis and ovulation and to use the ovarian follicle cells, as a model system to interrogate the role of ectopic Notch expression...
Show moreThe Drosophila ovary is an important model system for studying oogenesis and has provided insight into broader, biological topics such as stem cell niche, differentiation, migration, morphogenesis, signaling, cell-size regulation, and tumorigenesis. The purpose of this dissertation was to build a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic atlas of cells regulating oogenesis and ovulation and to use the ovarian follicle cells, as a model system to interrogate the role of ectopic Notch expression in development and during tumorigenesis. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis revealed transcriptional signatures for each of the 28 expected ovarian cell types and developmental stages. Each stage of oogenesis was then separately analyzed with a special focus on the most diverse cell type, the follicle cells. This identified key cell-type specific expression patterns governing processes like differentiation, mitotic-to-endocycle switch, migration, morphogenesis, phagocytic removal of nurse cells, eggshell formation, and a newly identified shift of the pre-corpus lutuem cell expression from oogenesis-to-ovulation. Additional characterization of the interconnected tissues in the dataset identified novel cellular heterogeneity of the oviduct and a population of hemocytes associating closely with it. We further describe how this association occurs in a non-mating-dependent manner as early as the pupal stage (during oviduct development). Additional characterization of the hemocyte cluster reveals expression of many phagocytic genes including the newly identified enzymatic marker, Cp1. Additional validation of cell-type markers classifies these macrophage-like cells as plasmatocytes, one of the most common types of hemocytes in flies. Armed with a rich dataset describing proper signaling during development we turn to the follicle cells and switch focus to study dysregulated signaling of the Notch pathway and its involvement in tumor formation. First, we expressed ectopic Notch (NICD) in follicle cells and discovered an uneven pattern of nuclear NICD retention in a cell-cycle dependent manner. We find that the cell-cycle regulator, string (cdc25), can strongly impact the localization of NICD regardless of the cell-cycle status of the cell. We also identify that Vps proteins involved in forming the ESCRT complex can similarly regulate the nuclear NICD pattern. Next, we examined the role of ectopic Notch signaling in tumorigenesis and found that while not sufficient for tumor formation, Notch functions as a tumor promoter and leads to a more dysplastic tumor phenotype. Tumor cells with ectopic NICD gain a survival advantage which may be due to a bypass of the DNA damage sensing checkpoint. RNA sequencing revealed unique expression of these tumor cells with ectopic NICD in both pre- and post-tumor conditions. Specifically, we identified DNA stability related genes, RecQ4 and Xpd, which are upregulated in NICD-overexpressing pre-tumor cells.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Jevitt_fsu_0071E_15554
Format: Thesis

Title: The Tortoise and the Expressway: The Governance of Circulation and the Conflict over the Appropriation of Residential and Conservation Properties by the Osceola Parkway Extension.
Creator: Jones, Caitlin Erin, McCreary, Tyler, Gergan, Mabel Denzin, Doel, Ronald Edmund, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Geography
Abstract/Description: Using the case of the Osceola Parkway Extension in Orange and Osceola Counties, this research examines how the legal geographies of expressway development and property rights claims intersect with gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) conservation efforts in Central Florida. Proposed and existing road infrastructure projects, such as the proposed Osceola Parkway Extension, continue to fragment gopher tortoise habitat in Florida. The Central Florida Expressway Authority rationalizes the road...
Show moreUsing the case of the Osceola Parkway Extension in Orange and Osceola Counties, this research examines how the legal geographies of expressway development and property rights claims intersect with gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) conservation efforts in Central Florida. Proposed and existing road infrastructure projects, such as the proposed Osceola Parkway Extension, continue to fragment gopher tortoise habitat in Florida. The Central Florida Expressway Authority rationalizes the road as a necessity, justifying appropriation of land for the parkway extension’s development. Thus, determining the route of the Osceola Parkway Extension has become the focus of road governance. The majority of the proposed road alignments for the extension transect Split Oak Forest and Wildlife Management Area, threatening the security of both the gopher tortoise population and gopher tortoise mitigation property within the forest. However, while the Central Florida Expressway Authority has jurisdiction over the governance of the road, it does not own the land needed to build it. This creates a relation between road governance and competing property rights, which then poses the question: what property rights must be ceded for right-of-way acquisition? Competing property rights holders have become enmeshed in the road governance process, as environmentalists seeking to protect conservation easements conflict with residential property owners. Thus, the mobilization of competing property rights claims structure the dialogue around road infrastructure encroachment onto conservation lands. How the competing values of suburban family homes and conservation easements, and the human and animal lives they support, are balanced will ultimately shape the road’s alignment. This suggests that legal and political conservation strategies need to be understood in dialogue with the governing rationalities of expressway and suburban development that continue to constitute enduring threats to the gopher tortoise and their local environments.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Jones_fsu_0071N_15598
Format: Thesis

Title: Multi-Scale Hurricane Loss Estimation.
Creator: Kakareko, Grzegorz, Jung, Sungmoon, Liu, Xiuwen, Vanli, Omer Arda, Rambo-Roddenberry, Michelle Deanna, Ozguven, Eren Erman, Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of...
Show moreKakareko, Grzegorz, Jung, Sungmoon, Liu, Xiuwen, Vanli, Omer Arda, Rambo-Roddenberry, Michelle Deanna, Ozguven, Eren Erman, Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Abstract/Description: Hurricane risk assessment is an important research topic: accurate estimation of the potential loss helps guide mitigation efforts to decrease the loss in the future. In the past decade, researchers working on the loss analysis tried to improve the loss estimation by generally working on a specific scale, such as building scale or city scale. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to improve the hurricane risk analysis by advancing the components in different scales, starting from...
Show moreHurricane risk assessment is an important research topic: accurate estimation of the potential loss helps guide mitigation efforts to decrease the loss in the future. In the past decade, researchers working on the loss analysis tried to improve the loss estimation by generally working on a specific scale, such as building scale or city scale. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to improve the hurricane risk analysis by advancing the components in different scales, starting from improving the current vulnerability and fragility models used in risk analysis, exploring the new metrics in regional loss estimation, and quantifying Florida mitigation impact. The first objective is to investigate the approximate loss of low-rise buildings from hurricane damage considering a Bayesian capacity model. Due to the lack of methods that can combine physics principles with experimental data, many previous vulnerability models relied on estimating parametric statistical models solely from data. In this research, a Bayesian capacity model that combines physics-based analytical results with experimental results was proposed. The inclusion of analytical estimations can help to produce more accurate fragility function when the amount of available data is limited. The proposed approach provides a range of the fragility functions and their confidence intervals, which then is translated into upper and lower bounds in the vulnerability estimation. The second objective is the new methodology for time dependent fragility analysis. A gamma process is employed to model the stochastic degradation of building components. Time-dependent fragility function and failure probability of the roof system obtained from the component degradation can be applied in time-dependent reliability modeling and optimal maintenance planning. Another objective of this dissertation is to understand characteristics of hurricane loss in different regions of Florida. Two different structures with different components capacities were taken into consideration. The first structure does not meet the current building standards in terms of the high winds performance (“weak”), and the second structure is built from hurricane proved materials approved by Florida Building Code (“strong”). In order to bring a new insight into the regional differences in hurricane loss, Exceedance Probability of Loss (EPL) is introduced. The EPL is the probability that the total annual loss will exceed a certain level. The results of this research identified the most vulnerable parts of Florida in terms of the EPL. In order to quantify the loss, the main loss measures used in the past are normalized percentage loss and dollar value loss. In this dissertation, it is shown that these measures are useful but may not properly reflect the size of the population influenced by hurricanes. The first metric is the average annual loss (AAL) which represents the expected loss per year in percentage. The second is the average annual dollar loss (AADL) which represents the expected dollar amount loss per year. In addition, a new loss measure is proposed that reflects the hurricane impact on people occupying the structure, which is the average annual population-weighted loss (AAPL). Compared to the AAL, the AAPL reflects the number of people influenced by the hurricane. The advantages of the AAPL are illustrated using three different analysis examples: 1) conventional regional loss analysis, 2) mitigation potential analysis, and 3) forecasted future loss analysis due to the change in population.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Kakareko_fsu_0071E_15506
Format: Thesis

Title: Convolutional Neural Networks for Hurricane Road Closure Probability and Tree Debris Estimation.
Creator: Kakareko, Grzegorz, Liu, Xiuwen, Jung, Sungmoon, Zhao, Peixiang, Chakraborty, Shayok, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Computer Science
Abstract/Description: Hurricanes cause significant property loss every year. A substantial part of that loss is due to the trees destroyed by the wind, which in turn block the roads and produce a large amount of debris. The debris not only can cause damage to nearby properties, but also needs to be cleaned after the hurricane. Neural Networks grown significantly as a field over the last year finding a lot of applications in many disciplines like computer science, medicine, banking, physics, and engineering. In...
Show moreHurricanes cause significant property loss every year. A substantial part of that loss is due to the trees destroyed by the wind, which in turn block the roads and produce a large amount of debris. The debris not only can cause damage to nearby properties, but also needs to be cleaned after the hurricane. Neural Networks grown significantly as a field over the last year finding a lot of applications in many disciplines like computer science, medicine, banking, physics, and engineering. In this thesis, a new method is proposed to estimate the tree debris due to high winds using the Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). For the purposes of this thesis the tree satellite image dataset was created which then was used to train two networks CNN-I and CNN-II for tree recognition and tree species recognition, respectively. Satellite images were used as the input for the CNNs to recognize the locations and types of the trees that can produce the debris. The tree images selected by CNN were used to approximate the tree parameters that were later used to calculate the tree failure density function often called fragility function (at least one failure in the time period) for each recognized tree. The tree failure density functions were used to compose the probability of road closure due to hurricane winds and overall amount of the tree debris. The proposed approach utilizes the current trends in Neural Networks and is easily applicable, such that can help cities and state authorities to better plan for the adverse consequences of tree failures due to hurricane winds.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Kakareko_fsu_0071N_15486
Format: Thesis

Title: Design, Simulation and Fabrication of Multijunction Polymer and Hybrid Solar Cells.
Creator: Khanam, Jobeda Jamal, Foo, Simon Y., Meyer-Bäse, Anke, Andrei, Petru, Bernadin, Shonda, Yu, Zhibin, Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of...
Show moreKhanam, Jobeda Jamal, Foo, Simon Y., Meyer-Bäse, Anke, Andrei, Petru, Bernadin, Shonda, Yu, Zhibin, Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
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Abstract/Description: In recent years, organic solar cells (OSCs) have been attracting much attention due to the ease of processing, low cost, flexibility, and lightweight compared to the traditional inorganic solar cells. Although OSC looks promising, it has some significant limitations. One limitation is the low efficiencies of the OSCs compared to silicon and III-V compound solar cells, due to limited exciton generation when the light strike on it and low electron and hole mobility. Moreover, OSC has poor...
Show moreIn recent years, organic solar cells (OSCs) have been attracting much attention due to the ease of processing, low cost, flexibility, and lightweight compared to the traditional inorganic solar cells. Although OSC looks promising, it has some significant limitations. One limitation is the low efficiencies of the OSCs compared to silicon and III-V compound solar cells, due to limited exciton generation when the light strike on it and low electron and hole mobility. Moreover, OSC has poor stability and short lifetime, due to the degradation of the polymer/electrode interface. For improve the efficiency of PSC, several methods implemented such as annealing, device structure tuning, and active material modification, etc. Among them staking two or more organic junctions (BHJ/HJ) are called tandem structure is one of the most effective solutions. Also, the PV devices using a mixture of inorganic nanoparticle and conjugated polymers called hybrid solar cells (HSCs), has been gain popularity for absorbing near-infrared light. It is essential to tune the thickness of active layers used in tandem photovoltaic to optimize the device performance. Finding the optimum tandem structure using trial and error experiments is expensive and sometimes ineffective. Simulation is a more efficient tool to create the most suitable tandem device structure. The current-voltage (J-V) characteristics will be used to compare the results of simulation and experimental data. The transfer matrix method is implemented for optical modeling of an OSC and HSCs, which was inspired by McGehee Group MATLAB program. The program calculates optimal thicknesses active layers giving the best short circuit current (Jsc) value. It has here shown different multijunction polymer solar cell which can able to absorb sunlight beyond 1000nm. Then explained the high-efficiency hybrid (organic and inorganic) solar cell which can absorb the sunlight with wavelength beyond 2500nm. In this work, we present a novel multijunction polymer solar cell and hybrid solar cell designs. Approximately 12% efficiency obtained from multijunction polymer solar cell, and 20% efficiency from every two, three, and four junction hybrid solar cells, under one sun AM1.5 illumination. Based on the simulation results, we fabricated single-junction PbS Quantum Dot (QD) solar cell. The PbS quantum dots (QD) is a promising nanostructured material for solar cell. However, insufficient works have been done to explore the active layer thickness, stability improvement, the layer deposition techniques, and cost reduction for PbS QD solar cell. We addressed those issues of device fabrication and suggested their possible solutions. In our work, to get maximum current density from a PbS QD solar cell, we estimated optimized active layer thickness using MATLAB simulation. After that, we fabricated high performance and low-cost QD photovoltaic (PV)device with the simulated optimized active layer thickness. We implemented the low-cost device by using 10mg/ml PbS concentration. Here drop-cast layer deposition and spin coating methods were used and compared. We found that the device fabricated by the spin coating method is more efficient than the drop cast method. The spin-coated PbS QD solar cell produced 6.5% power conversion efficiency (PCE) at AM1.5 light spectrum. Besides, we observed, Cr (chromium) interfaces with the Ag (Cr- Ag) electrode can provide a high air-stable electrode.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_khanam_fsu_0071E_15497
Format: Thesis

Title: Examining Local Government Information Sharing through Three Different Lenses of Social Networks, Policy Networks, and Public Management.
Creator: Ki, Namhoon, Feiock, Richard C., Isaac, R. Mark (Robert Mark), Berry, Frances Stokes, Brower, Ralph S., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreKi, Namhoon, Feiock, Richard C., Isaac, R. Mark (Robert Mark), Berry, Frances Stokes, Brower, Ralph S., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Askew School of Public Administration and Policy
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Abstract/Description: This dissertation uncovers the underlying structure of inter-organizational information sharing in the public sector from three different theoretical perspectives. Drawing on theories in social networks, policy networks and public management, this study answers the following questions: 1) why are city governments more likely to share information with one another when they belong to the same county? 2) when do local governments share information with one another under a competitive environment...
Show moreThis dissertation uncovers the underlying structure of inter-organizational information sharing in the public sector from three different theoretical perspectives. Drawing on theories in social networks, policy networks and public management, this study answers the following questions: 1) why are city governments more likely to share information with one another when they belong to the same county? 2) when do local governments share information with one another under a competitive environment? 3) what motivational bases exist for public managers to willingly learn from other governments’ experiences, which, in turn, will lead to more frequent information sharing between governments. To answer the first question, one chapter explores why and when county jurisdiction helps city governments overcome the collective action dilemma in inter-governmental information sharing based on the insight of the ‘strength of strong ties’ hypothesis that ‘people help their friends first, acquaintances later (chum strategy)’. Using exponential random graph model (ERGM), the analysis of economic development information (EDI) sharing patterns among 34 cities in the Orlando metropolitan area confirms that EDI sharing between strong-tied municipal governments, ones sharing the same county jurisdiction, is more likely to take place under two specific conditions: 1) when cities are expected to get more collective demand for the information from others and 2) when they have greater demand for the information. This finding suggests that county jurisdiction boundary functions as a barrier in the exchange of EDI between municipal governments. Regarding the second question, a subsequent chapter investigates how inter-governmental competition affects the tendency of local actors sharing information with one another. Informal policy networks and formal contracts are distinctive governing mechanisms for addressing collaboration risks. Institutional collective action (ICA) theory suggests that a formal contract will be preferred over an informal policy network in inter-governmental relationships, as partner’s defection risk increases under a competitive environment. This paper builds on and extends this proposition by advancing and testing a more complete explanation for local government’s preference of one mechanism over another and investigating how it varies depending on the level of competition in each dyadic local government relationship. This is demonstrated through the development of a substantive measurement strategy for dyadic economic development competition between governments, as well as the assessment of the validity and reliability of the measure. Estimation of QAP network regressions reveals that local governments prefer a formal contract over an informal policy network with their partners when the competition between them increases. However, competition does not necessarily reduce the use of informal policy networks between local actors but rather results in more frequent informal networks between them. The conclusion discusses the practical implications of the findings for government managers and how the measurement approach advanced in this study can be applied to studies of inter-governmental relations in other policy arenas. Lastly, this dissertation additionally explores how public service motivation (PSM) is associated with government officials’ willingness to learn from other governments’ practices drawing on the debates of public sector benchmarking and PSM theory. Benchmarking between local governments has become an important topic in public administration. In benchmarking practice, local government officials play important roles in deciding what they learn, who they learn from and how to adopt and adapt to the lessons. However, less attention has been paid to why local government officials to willingly take lessons from their peer governments. Focusing on a particular type of motivational basis, public service motivation (PSM), this study assesses how PSM and its four dimensions are associated with local government officials’ willingness to learn from other governments’ practices.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Ki_fsu_0071E_15477
Format: Thesis

Title: The Strategy of Being "Military Friendly" a Comprehensive Look at the Strategies Employed under the Banner of Military and Veteran Friendliness.
Creator: Kinch, Abra Kathleen, Berry, Frances Stokes, Fay, Daniel F., Schrock, Douglas P., Berlan, David G. (David Gregory), Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and...
Show moreKinch, Abra Kathleen, Berry, Frances Stokes, Fay, Daniel F., Schrock, Douglas P., Berlan, David G. (David Gregory), Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Askew School of Public Administration and Policy
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Abstract/Description: Veterans in higher education are not a new phenomenon, but over the past decade, policies put in place in organizations designed to support this population have grown in number and impact. This manuscript is assembled as a series of studies that investigate the strategic management implementation of adopting these policies impacting veterans in two ways: (1) as clients, or students, and (2) as bureaucrats, or employees. It begins by analyzing policies adopted to support student veteran...
Show moreVeterans in higher education are not a new phenomenon, but over the past decade, policies put in place in organizations designed to support this population have grown in number and impact. This manuscript is assembled as a series of studies that investigate the strategic management implementation of adopting these policies impacting veterans in two ways: (1) as clients, or students, and (2) as bureaucrats, or employees. It begins by analyzing policies adopted to support student veteran success and transition in order to determine which actually play a role in student veteran outcomes, graduation. Findings suggest that the policies that touch student veterans at the beginning of their higher education journey, a veteran-specific orientation and single point-of-contact, correlate positively with graduation rates at both the 6- and 8-year measures. This project then looks at the strategic management tools used by universities to drive behavior and decision-making within the organization, including the mission statement, strategic plan, long-term goals, as well as other veteran-specific strategic tools. Diversity seems to be a common theme amongst both university-wide and veteran-specific tools, indicating that veteran inclusion is a diversity initiative. Finally, this manuscript looks at how the strategic management tools impact adoption of population-specific policy asking, “What is the strategy of being ‘military friendly’?” As it turns out, there is not one. Outside of veteran human resource policy, most policies are seemingly adopted ad hoc. Possible reasons for this absence of strategy, including the fundamental misconception of veterans as being “at-risk,” are discussed and practitioner recommendations are made.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Kinch_fsu_0071E_15532
Format: Thesis

Title: Mechanistic Studies of CRISPR-Cas9 Using Directed Evolution.
Creator: Hand, Travis Howard, Li, Hong, Gilbert, David M., Stroupe, M. Elizabeth (Margaret Elizabeth), Tang, Hengli, Yin, Qian (Assistant professor of biological science), Florida State...
Show moreHand, Travis Howard, Li, Hong, Gilbert, David M., Stroupe, M. Elizabeth (Margaret Elizabeth), Tang, Hengli, Yin, Qian (Assistant professor of biological science), Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Institute of Molecular Biophysics
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Abstract/Description: The evolutionary arms race for survival against phages and other mobile genetic elements has produced a wide repertoire of defensive strategies in prokaryotes. CRISPR (Clustered, regularly-interspaced, short palindromic repeats) systems are adaptive immune pathways that use RNA-guided nucleases to target and destroy foreign nucleic acid. The ease with which these CRISPR associated (Cas) enzymes can be reprogrammed to target almost any gene sequence has revolutionized biological research,...
Show moreThe evolutionary arms race for survival against phages and other mobile genetic elements has produced a wide repertoire of defensive strategies in prokaryotes. CRISPR (Clustered, regularly-interspaced, short palindromic repeats) systems are adaptive immune pathways that use RNA-guided nucleases to target and destroy foreign nucleic acid. The ease with which these CRISPR associated (Cas) enzymes can be reprogrammed to target almost any gene sequence has revolutionized biological research, industry, and biomedical applications. Human genome editing with CRISPR-Cas is ongoing and has immense therapeutic potential to correct disease causing mutations at the DNA level but is plagued by off-target cleavage events and inefficient activity for certain targets. Extensive structural and biochemical studies on CRISPR-Cas9 have provided critical understanding of the molecular mechanisms that govern enzymatic activity, but many questions still need to be answered for Cas9 to become an effective and safe tool. In this work, I investigate the structural parameters of Cas9 responsible for specificity and efficiency using directed evolution and in vitro characterizations on a thermophilic Cas9 from Acidothermus cellulolyticus (AceCas9). I identified a surprising role of the phosphate lock for tuning specificity in a manner that depends on residue size and charge. Removal of the negative charge from the phosphate lock residues significantly decreases sensitivity to off-targets. An increase in the size of the substituted residues further reduces the sensitivity to guide-DNA mismatches. I successfully engineered a catalytically enhanced AceCas9 with up to 4-fold increase in catalytic efficiency by targeting conformational states. These engineered variants provide a path forward to utilizing the slower type II-C Cas9s in genome editing applications as well as improving the activity of currently used genome editing Cas9.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Hand_fsu_0071E_15470
Format: Thesis

Title: Isotopic Evidence for Diets and Environments of Late Miocene-Early Pliocene Mammals in Yepómera, Mexico.
Creator: Hannold, Chance D., Wang, Yang, Parker, William C., Owens, Jeremy D., Erickson, Gregory M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Earth, Ocean,...
Show moreHannold, Chance D., Wang, Yang, Parker, William C., Owens, Jeremy D., Erickson, Gregory M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science
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Abstract/Description: The Late Miocene brought a sudden increase in the biomass of C4 plants that resulted in an expansion of grassland habitat and markedly changed the diets of vertebrate fauna in many places around the world. Concurrently, early pulses of Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) migrations are evidenced by early first appearances of immigrant taxa in the fossil record, leading into the major GABI pulses in the Early Pliocene. The causes and environmental context of GABI migrations, however, are...
Show moreThe Late Miocene brought a sudden increase in the biomass of C4 plants that resulted in an expansion of grassland habitat and markedly changed the diets of vertebrate fauna in many places around the world. Concurrently, early pulses of Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) migrations are evidenced by early first appearances of immigrant taxa in the fossil record, leading into the major GABI pulses in the Early Pliocene. The causes and environmental context of GABI migrations, however, are not well understood. Vertebrate fossils from Yepómera, western Chihuahua, represent one of the richest assemblages in Mexico and are a valuable paleo-environmental archive. This study examined the stable isotope compositions of tooth enamel samples of this fauna to provide broad insight into the environmental conditions of this region between 4.89 to 5.23 Ma, just after the arrival of C4 plants in North and South America and before the first major migration of GABI. The enamel carbon and oxygen isotope data suggest a relatively dry, open habitat (similar to savanna or prairie environments) with a strong C4 vegetation component, a mean annual temperature of 18 ± 10°C and a moderate annual precipitation of 657 ± 93 mm/yr. At Yepómera, there was distinct niche partitioning into pure C3 diets, mixed diets, and pure C4 diets. As such, C4 vegetation must have been a major component of the environment during the Late Miocene-Early Pliocene. Despite expectations, no niche partitioning between equid species (Dinohippus mexicanus, Nannippus aztecus, Astrohippus stockii, and Neohipparion eurystyle) can be determined from carbon isotope ratios. All four fossil horse species found in Yepómera had pure or nearly pure C4 diets, suggesting that they were hyper grazers or primarily grazers, consistent with the inference from their dental morphology. Pure C3 consumption was rare to absent in all other genera analyzed except for the genus Camelops, for which C3 vegetation was the dominant diet. Samples from Hemiauchenia varied between pure C3 diet and a mixed diet depending on the individual. The other genera in this study site (Gomphotheriidae, Hexobelomeryx fricki, and Platygonus) were primarily mixed feeders. Assuming a carnivorous life habit (based on dentition), Agriotherium schneideri, an immigrant large ursid, appears to have consumed primarily equids or an unsampled taxon with predominantly C4 diet. However, the enamel isotope data cannot exclude the possibility of an omnivorous life habit. Migrations are evidenced in the oxygen isotope ratios of several specimens indicating that there was mobility in these taxa before the GABI, with diets remaining consistent throughout this migration (suggesting strong dietary preferences and niche specialization). The carbon and oxygen isotope ratios of the Yepómera fauna are consistent with both the holding pen hypothesis for the GABI and a Central American rise in C4 biomass at least close in time to the expansion of C4 biomass in North America. Through adaptation to this ecosystem, these taxa would be well prepared to exploit and compete for the grassland habitats proposed to have developed on the Panama Isthmus. This could explain how equids, peccaries, gomphotheres, and short-faced bears related to these taxa had such success in arriving and diversifying in the South American mainland, where a similar habitat is believed to have expanded around the time of the exchange. Future work in this area will lead to a more complete understanding of biologic responses to changing climate and population dynamics.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Hannold_fsu_0071N_15584
Format: Thesis

Title: Understanding the Behavior and Structure of Nanocrystalline Material through the Interactions of Photons.
Creator: Hardy, David A. (David Allen), Strouse, Geoffrey F., Oates, William, Stiegman, Albert E., Hanson, Kenneth G., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department...
Show moreHardy, David A. (David Allen), Strouse, Geoffrey F., Oates, William, Stiegman, Albert E., Hanson, Kenneth G., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
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Abstract/Description: Ligand passivated nanoparticles have applications in solid-state lighting, plasmonics, and catalysis. At the nanoscale, the properties of these materials can be manipulated by reaction kinetics, allowing for systematic control to achieve desired functionalities and performance efficiency. Analysis of these properties and evaluating their fundamental behavior is challenging due to the complex chemistry at the nanoscale. Therefore, a combination of analytical techniques such as TEM, SEM, pXRD,...
Show moreLigand passivated nanoparticles have applications in solid-state lighting, plasmonics, and catalysis. At the nanoscale, the properties of these materials can be manipulated by reaction kinetics, allowing for systematic control to achieve desired functionalities and performance efficiency. Analysis of these properties and evaluating their fundamental behavior is challenging due to the complex chemistry at the nanoscale. Therefore, a combination of analytical techniques such as TEM, SEM, pXRD, NMR, and optical methods are required to study the structure and properties of these materials. This dissertation will consist of two topics covering nanoparticle synthesis and their applications. The first topic will discuss the use of 2 nm lanthanide doped nanospinels (Ln:ZnAl2O4, Ln = Tb, Eu) as down-shifting phosphors for solid-state lighting. Emission quantum yields up to 50% are achieved following energy transfer from a surface coordinating ligand. The second topic will discuss the synthesis and isolation of catalytic material from an iron-cobalt Prussian blue analogue (PBA). The isolated catalytic material retain elemental compositions and obey a scaling law with respect to the seed PBA, suggesting a templated interconversion.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Hardy_fsu_0071E_15492
Format: Thesis

Title: Investigating Adherence to Technology-Based Cognitive Interventions with the Potential to Slow or Reverse Cognitive Decline Associated with Aging.
Creator: Harrell, Erin Renee, Boot, Walter Richard, Shute, Valerie J. (Valerie Jean), Kofler, Michael J., Kaschak, Michael P., Charness, Neil, Florida State University, College of Arts...
Show moreHarrell, Erin Renee, Boot, Walter Richard, Shute, Valerie J. (Valerie Jean), Kofler, Michael J., Kaschak, Michael P., Charness, Neil, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
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Abstract/Description: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of two theory-based strategies to promote cognitive training adherence among older adults over an extended period. Strategies either: (a) incorporated elements of implementation intention formation or (b) positive message framing, both of which have been found to promote adherence to health-behaviors in other domains. Participants were asked to engage in technology-based cognitive training at home comprised of seven neuropsychological...
Show moreThe aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of two theory-based strategies to promote cognitive training adherence among older adults over an extended period. Strategies either: (a) incorporated elements of implementation intention formation or (b) positive message framing, both of which have been found to promote adherence to health-behaviors in other domains. Participants were asked to engage in technology-based cognitive training at home comprised of seven neuropsychological tasks that were gamified (the Mind Frontiers software program) while adherence was monitored across two phases. The focus of this thesis is Phase 1. In Phase 1 (structured), participants were provided with a recommended adherence schedule that required them to engage in an hour of cognitive training for five days out of the week over two months. In Phase 2 (unstructured), participants were allowed to engage in as little or as much training as they wanted for one month. In general, adherence was adequate, but large variability was observed. Contrary to expectations, neither the implementation intention nor the positive message framing manipulation produced greater adherence relative to a control group. Individual differences did not predict adherence over Phase 1 either. Results confirm that in addition to the domains of medication, exercise, and nutrition interventions, adherence is a challenge within this domain as well, and that adherence can be difficult to improve and predict. Adaptive, technology-based reminder systems may hold more promise compared to traditional behavioral interventions to promote adherence. Phase 2 will examine whether any benefits might be observed when participants were given more freedom to determine their own level of intervention engagement.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Harrell_fsu_0071E_15527
Format: Thesis

Title: Developing Multi-Frequency EPR Methods for Studying Protein-Lipid Interactions on the HIV Membrane.
Creator: Hayati, Zahra, Song, Likai, Hill, S. (Stephen Olof), Cross, Timothy A., Bonesteel, N. E., Murphy, Jeremiah Wayne, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences,...
Show moreHayati, Zahra, Song, Likai, Hill, S. (Stephen Olof), Cross, Timothy A., Bonesteel, N. E., Murphy, Jeremiah Wayne, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics
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Abstract/Description: Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is a powerful technique to study biomolecules. EPR has been employed to investigate the structure and dynamics of biological membranes, membrane proteins, and protein-lipid interactions. Multi-frequency and high-field experiments enhance the ability of EPR to observe spin dynamics at different time scales and to obtain high-resolution spectra, including 𝑔 anisotropy sensitivity. However, the lack of available techniques and instruments...
Show moreElectron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is a powerful technique to study biomolecules. EPR has been employed to investigate the structure and dynamics of biological membranes, membrane proteins, and protein-lipid interactions. Multi-frequency and high-field experiments enhance the ability of EPR to observe spin dynamics at different time scales and to obtain high-resolution spectra, including 𝑔 anisotropy sensitivity. However, the lack of available techniques and instruments hinders the application of high-field EPR for biological studies. In this work, we focused on the development of multi-frequency EPR methods in order to characterize protein-lipid interactions on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) membrane. HIV infects T cells through a process of membrane fusion. The membrane-bound regions of a viral surface protein gp41, including the membrane proximal ectodomain region (MPER) and the transmembrane region (TM), facilitate membrane fusion and have been targeted for vaccine and drug development. This fusion process is mediated by the raft-like viral membrane that contains a high quantity of cholesterol. The molecular details of gp41-viral membrane interactions during the fusion process are still unclear. To investigate these interactions, we introduced and further developed several EPR methods: 1) Determining peptide-induced lipid orientational disorder using magnetically aligned bicelles (Chapter 3). Bicelles with 20 mol% cholesterol were applied to elucidate how the MPER/TM disrupts the lipid orientational order of the viral membrane. 2) Analyzing the lipid lateral ordering of raft-like lipids using EPR at 94 GHz (Chapter 4). The results demonstrated that this parameter, which reflects the order of the lipids along the membrane plane, has a high sensitivity to lipid motion changes as a result of protein-lipid interactions or lipid composition/position differences. 3) Development of magnetically aligned bicelles containing raft-like lipids using multi-frequency EPR (Chapter 5). For the first time, raft- like bicelles were aligned in the magnetic field with an optimized q value and lipid ratios. These aligned membranes enable studies of membrane properties and protein associations, including the MPER/TM. Other methods involved in this study included lipid fluidity measurements, a fairly new membrane permeability assay, and the application of spin-spin distance measurements to determine peptide self-association and oligomerization. Using these methods, we demonstrated that the MPER interacts strongly with the viral membrane, perturbs the bilayer, and induces significant lipid mobility, membrane permeability, and lipid orientational order changes. The MPER-induced membrane property changes are modulated by the cholesterol content and the TM. Cholesterol inhibits MPER-lipid interactions and promotes MPER/TM oligomerization. The TM stabilizes the MPER on the membrane and abolishes the inhibition effect of cholesterol. In summary, we have improved multi-frequency EPR techniques to study proteins and membranes, and elucidated the mechanism of‎ the‎ MPER/TM‎ of‎ HIV‎ gp41’s‎ interaction with the viral membrane.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Hayati_fsu_0071E_15110
Format: Thesis

Title: Teaching Emotion Vocabulary to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Creator: Intepe Tingir, Seyma Intepe, Whalon, Kelly J., Phillips, Beth M., Hanline, Mary Frances, Dennis, Lindsay Rae, Florida State University, College of Education, School of Teacher...
Show moreIntepe Tingir, Seyma Intepe, Whalon, Kelly J., Phillips, Beth M., Hanline, Mary Frances, Dennis, Lindsay Rae, Florida State University, College of Education, School of Teacher Education
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Abstract/Description: Although many investigations suggest that reading for understanding specifically in the narrative text is difficult for children with ASD, research on how to effectively teach skills associated with reading comprehension is limited and has generally deemphasized vocabulary interventions. Therefore, teaching vocabulary related emotion might be beneficial not only to improve vocabulary development but also reading comprehension. This multiple probes across behaviors design examined the...
Show moreAlthough many investigations suggest that reading for understanding specifically in the narrative text is difficult for children with ASD, research on how to effectively teach skills associated with reading comprehension is limited and has generally deemphasized vocabulary interventions. Therefore, teaching vocabulary related emotion might be beneficial not only to improve vocabulary development but also reading comprehension. This multiple probes across behaviors design examined the effectiveness of teaching emotional vocabulary words to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who is in K-2 grade. Storybooks, direct instruction, technology, and pre-teaching were used to teach emotion words for students with ASD. Results show a significant increase in vocabulary knowledge across participants. Students were able to maintain the vocabulary knowledge in later phrases. This finding also was socially valid based on the teachers. Implication and future research are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_IntepeTingir_fsu_0071E_15393
Format: Thesis

Title: Cytogenetic Analysis of Male Meiosis in Humulus Lupulus L. (Hop): An Investigation of a Highly Structurally Variable Genome.
Creator: Easterling, Katherine Aline, Bass, Hank W., Levenson, Cathy W., Mast, Austin R., McGinnis, Karen M., Miller, Brian G., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences,...
Show moreEasterling, Katherine Aline, Bass, Hank W., Levenson, Cathy W., Mast, Austin R., McGinnis, Karen M., Miller, Brian G., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biological Science
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Abstract/Description: Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is an important crop worldwide, known as the main flavoring ingredient in beer. The diversifying brewing industry demands variation in flavors, superior process properties, and sustainable agronomics, which are the focus of advanced molecular breeding efforts in hops. Hop breeders have been limited in their ability to create strains with desirable traits, however, because of the unusual and unpredictable inheritance patterns and associated non-Mendelian genetic marker...
Show moreHop (Humulus lupulus L.) is an important crop worldwide, known as the main flavoring ingredient in beer. The diversifying brewing industry demands variation in flavors, superior process properties, and sustainable agronomics, which are the focus of advanced molecular breeding efforts in hops. Hop breeders have been limited in their ability to create strains with desirable traits, however, because of the unusual and unpredictable inheritance patterns and associated non-Mendelian genetic marker segregation. To better understand the transmission genetics of hop we genotyped 4,512 worldwide accessions of hop, including cultivars, landraces, and over 100 wild accessions, using a genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approach. From the resulting ~1.2M single nucleotide polymorphisms, pre-qualified GBS markers were validated by inferences in population structures and phylogeny. Analysis of pseudo-testcross mapping data from F1 families revealed mixed patterns of Mendelian and non-Mendelian segregation. We used genome-wide association studies and FST analysis to demonstrate selection mapping of genetic loci for key traits, including sex, bitter acids, and drought tolerance. Among the possible mechanisms underlying the observed segregation distortion from the genomic data analysis, the cytogenetic analysis points to meiotic chromosome behavior as one of the contributing factors. Cytogenetic analysis of meiotic chromosome behavior has also revealed conspicuous and prevalent occurrences of multiple, atypical, non-disomic chromosome complexes, including those involving autosomes in late prophase. To explore the role of meiosis in segregation distortion, we undertook 3D cytogenetic analysis of hop pollen mother cells stained with DAPI. Our initial DAPI survey of late meiotic prophase nuclei in two cultivars and two wild hop revealed conspicuous and prevalent occurrences of multiple, atypical, non-disomic chromosome complexes, including autosomes. We then systematically examined all stages of meiosis for meiotic irregularities utilizing telomere and 5S rDNA fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH). We used telomere FISH to demonstrate that hop exhibits a normal telomere clustering bouquet. Highly variable 5S rDNA FISH patterns within and between plants, together with the detection of anaphase chromosome bridges, reflect extensive departures from normal disomic signal composition and distribution. Subsequent FACS analysis revealed variable DNA content in a cultivated pedigree. To date, linkage groups in hop have not been assigned to physical chromosomes, rendering genome assemblies and karyotype development particularly challenging, given its genomic structural variability. Consequently, understanding genome evolution in Humulus represents a considerable challenge, requiring additional resources, including integrated genome maps. In order to facilitate cytogenetic investigations into the transmission genetics of hop, we report here the identification and characterization of 18 new and distinct tandem repeat sequence families. A tandem repeat discovery pipeline was developed using k-mer and dot plot analysis of PacBio long-read sequences from the hop cultivar, Apollo. We produced oligonucleotide FISH probes for some of these families and demonstrated their utility via 3D FISH to stain meiotic chromosomes from wild hop, var. neomexicanus. Probes derived from the tandem repeat sequence families, HSR0, HuluTR120 and HuluTR235, were shown to be particularly useful for detection of meiotic abnormalities in wild and cultivated hop. Collectively, these tandem repeat sequence families represent unique and valuable new reagents with the capacity to inform genome assembly efforts and support comparative genomic analyses. The findings shed light on long-standing questions on the unusual transmission genetics and phenotypic variation in hop, with major implications for breeding, cultivation, and the natural history of Humulus. The data in this dissertation have been or are being considered for publication. The data presented in Chapter 2 has been published in The Plant Genome (Zhang et al., 2017). The data presented in Chapter 2 has been published in Frontiers in Plant Science (Easterling et al., 2018). The data in Chapter 4 is submitted to Frontiers in Plant Science.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Easterling_fsu_0071E_15522
Format: Thesis

Title: A Library Is a Place You Can Lose Your Innocence without Losing Your Virginity: LGBTQAI+ Young Adults, Young Adult Literature, & Sexuality Health Information Needs.
Creator: Escobar, Kristie L., Kazmer, Michelle M., Burdette, Amy M., Hinnant, Charles C. (Charles Christopher), Latham, Don, Florida State University, College of Communication and...
Show moreEscobar, Kristie L., Kazmer, Michelle M., Burdette, Amy M., Hinnant, Charles C. (Charles Christopher), Latham, Don, Florida State University, College of Communication and Information, School of Information
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Abstract/Description: Although sexual education programs are staples in the middle and high school curricula, many of these courses are abstinence-based which do not serve the needs of the teen demographic, let alone those who are LGBTQAI+ (Orenstein, 2016). “LGBT teens are often left out of discussions in sex education classrooms in the United States because of discriminatory curricula, ignorance on the part of some teachers and students, or fear of retribution from conservative political and religious activists”...
Show moreAlthough sexual education programs are staples in the middle and high school curricula, many of these courses are abstinence-based which do not serve the needs of the teen demographic, let alone those who are LGBTQAI+ (Orenstein, 2016). “LGBT teens are often left out of discussions in sex education classrooms in the United States because of discriminatory curricula, ignorance on the part of some teachers and students, or fear of retribution from conservative political and religious activists” (Bittner, 2012, p. 357). LGBTQAI+-focused literature can help fill the gaps in sexuality/sexual health information not addressed in public school curricula. Content analysis, both quantitative and qualitative divulges sexuality and sexual health issues examined in LGBTQAI+ marketed young adult literature. Individual interviews of LGTQAI+ young adults add insight into whether the positive and negative aspects of the young adult literature, discovered through content analysis, affect them in their enjoyment of or willingness to read the book, whether the issues in the book are authentic and pertinent to their everyday life, and if the books fulfill an information need they have about sexuality or sexual health. The mixed methods complement each other as the content analysis explores what is contained in the texts while the interviews with LGBTQAI+ teens will determine the significance of those findings.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Escobar_fsu_0071E_15476
Format: Thesis

Title: Chiral Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography Analysis of Cellular Secretions.
Creator: Evans, Kimberly Celeste, Roper, Michael Gabriel, Trombley, Paul Q., Hu, Yan-yan, Strouse, Geoffrey F., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of...
Show moreEvans, Kimberly Celeste, Roper, Michael Gabriel, Trombley, Paul Q., Hu, Yan-yan, Strouse, Geoffrey F., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
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Abstract/Description: The work in this dissertation presents a chiral separation method for the quantitative measurement of primary amines secreted from murine islets of Langerhans along with whole brain tissue and astrocytes. Primary amines, including amino acids, can have a chiral center which leads to nomenclature of the resulting enantiomers, L- or D-. Most alpha amino acids exist in either form, however, prior to the 1980’s D-amino acids (DAAs) were thought to not be utilized by cells.1 Of the alpha amino...
Show moreThe work in this dissertation presents a chiral separation method for the quantitative measurement of primary amines secreted from murine islets of Langerhans along with whole brain tissue and astrocytes. Primary amines, including amino acids, can have a chiral center which leads to nomenclature of the resulting enantiomers, L- or D-. Most alpha amino acids exist in either form, however, prior to the 1980’s D-amino acids (DAAs) were thought to not be utilized by cells.1 Of the alpha amino acids, D-serine (D-Ser)2, D-alanine (D-Ala)3,4, and D-aspartate (D-Asp)5,6, to name a few, have been identified throughout the body in considerably lower concentrations to the corresponding enantiomer. Even at low concentrations, DAAs are important to the overall homeostasis of the mammalian body. For example, D-Ser can activate the Gly binding site on N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs). D-Ser appears throughout the brain in varying concentrations depending on the region.7,8 Unfortunately, detection of the D-enantiomers is difficult when the sheer abundance of the L-enantiomer is considered. Several methods have monitored primary amines from numerous biological systems, including murine islets of Langerhans, whether directly or indirectly.9-14 In recent years, direct methods for monitoring cellular content have gained some ground in effort to have quantitative methods to measure chiral amines. Direct measurements of chiral amines would elucidate the roles of DAAs better compared to the indirect methods that require assumptions about pathways or signaling mechanisms. In this work, the optimized separation conditions utilized four internal standards to quantify 17 primary amines, of which were 5 D-amino acids, with limits of detection (LOD) ranging from 0.3 nM to 8 nM. The normalized migration times had relative standard deviations (RSD) less than 0.6% and the majority of the normalized peak areas were less than 10% RSD. The effects of glucose were tested on small batches of islets and a small shoulder corresponding to the same migration time as D-Ser standard was observed under high glucose. While the islet samples did not yield any D-amino acid peak, other tissues are known to contain numerous D-amino acids such as whole brain tissue. Utilizing the optimized chiral separation method, changes in D-Ser secretion and content from three different brain regions under two conditions were investigated. D-Ser is proposed to be in lower concentrations, secreted or content, in murine brains after identified with the status condition compared to the non-status brains. Samples were treated in the same manner as the islet samples with one caveat, β-Ala was no longer considered an internal standard due to its presence in the samples. The chiral separation method was capable of observing D-Ser in most of the samples, which was identified through the use of D-Ser standard spikes and D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) to eliminate of the peak in question. The role of pure populations of astrocytes has yet to be fully examined in relation to the effects of drug abuse, specifically the direct effect of D-Ser concentration in cellular content. Due to differences in astrocytic populations based on brain region, a different set of three brain regions were selected for the next experiment. Content from whole brain regions from the hippocampus, cortex, and olfactory bulb were examined utilizing the optimized chiral separation method for the presence of D-Ser. To elucidate if astrocytes contained D-Ser in the absence of neurons, cultures of only astrocytes and co-cultures of astrocytes with neurons from the previously mentioned regions were stimulated with high potassium to induce release of cellular content.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Evans_fsu_0071E_15475
Format: Thesis

Title: Homerian Hunt: A Multiproxy Approach to Tracking Paleoredox Conditions Associated with the Late Wenlock Big Crisis.
Creator: Funderburk, Randall E. (Randall Edward), Young, Seth A., Owens, Jeremy D., Wang, Yang, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Earth, Ocean, and...
Show moreFunderburk, Randall E. (Randall Edward), Young, Seth A., Owens, Jeremy D., Wang, Yang, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science
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Abstract/Description: The Silurian was a period characterized by rapidly fluctuating climate, multiple biotic turnover events, and eustatic sea-level variability. The Homerian Mulde biotic event (late Wenlock), ~428Ma, lies between the Sheinwoodian (early Wenlock) Ireviken and late Ludlow (mid- Ludfordian) Lau extinction events. It is characterized by a near complete extinction (95% loss) in graptolites, a severe drop (~80%) in diversity in conodonts, and a 50% loss in acritarchs (organic-walled phytoplankton...
Show moreThe Silurian was a period characterized by rapidly fluctuating climate, multiple biotic turnover events, and eustatic sea-level variability. The Homerian Mulde biotic event (late Wenlock), ~428Ma, lies between the Sheinwoodian (early Wenlock) Ireviken and late Ludlow (mid- Ludfordian) Lau extinction events. It is characterized by a near complete extinction (95% loss) in graptolites, a severe drop (~80%) in diversity in conodonts, and a 50% loss in acritarchs (organic-walled phytoplankton groups), collectively known as the Wenlock ‘Big Crisis’. Previous studies have aligned the various Big Crisis extinctions to a double peaked carbon isotope excursion (CIE), known as the Mulde CIE, and inferred this to be a major change in the global carbon cycle. However, causal mechanisms that link the Mulde CIE to the ‘Big Crisis’ remain poorly constrained. In this thesis, two carbonate-bearing sequences connected to separate paleobasins, the shallow shelf carbonate sequence at McCrory Lane, TN and upper slope mixed siliclastic-marl sequence at Coal Canyon, Simpson Park Range, NV have been analyzed for multiproxy investigations. I present new δ13C, δ34S, I/(Ca+Mg), pyrite framboid, and carbonate microfacies data from these two successions spanning the Mulde CIE and Big Crisis interval. I document for the first time a positive ~10‰ shift in δ34SCAS during the Big Crisis extinction interval and first peak of the Mulde CIE. This suggests an expansion of reducing conditions globally; triggering enhanced organic matter and pyrite burial during a eustatic sea-level rise. At McCrory Lane, TN, local pyrite sulfur, I/(Ca+Mg), and microfacies fauna analysis support enhanced pyrite burial, and indicate the temporary contraction of reducing conditions during the Big Crisis survival and recovery intervals and protracted eustatic high stand. During the recovery interval of the Big Crisis the second Mulde CIE peak occurs and new δ34SCAS data suggest a second smaller expansion of reducing conditions in the late Wenlock oceans occurred. Interestingly, there is no documented no biotic turnover that occurs in concert with the second Mulde CIE peak suggesting a smaller and limited nature of this second expansion of marine reducing conditions. Statistical thin section analyses of fauna grain composition and niche replacement and near ubiquitous presence of pyrite framboids further support the notion that global oxygen content and bioavailability is still playing a major role in the evolution of biosphere and oceanic redox conditions through the mid-Paleozoic.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Funderburk_fsu_0071N_15474
Format: Thesis

Title: Global Optimization in Stellar Evolution Applications.
Creator: Georgiadou, Antigoni, Plewa, Tomasz, Sussman, Mark, Meyer-Bäse, Anke, Ökten, Giray, Cogan, Nicholas G., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of...
Show moreGeorgiadou, Antigoni, Plewa, Tomasz, Sussman, Mark, Meyer-Bäse, Anke, Ökten, Giray, Cogan, Nicholas G., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Mathematics
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Abstract/Description: Computer modeling is extensively used to probe structure and evolution of stars and planets. These computations allow astrophysicists to connect theoretical models of star formation and evolution to astronomical observations. Because stellar evolution is a highly complex process and long evolutionary timescales only allow one to obtain just a glimpse into the stellar life, finding initial stellar model parameters that lead to specific observed objects requires substantial effort and expert...
Show moreComputer modeling is extensively used to probe structure and evolution of stars and planets. These computations allow astrophysicists to connect theoretical models of star formation and evolution to astronomical observations. Because stellar evolution is a highly complex process and long evolutionary timescales only allow one to obtain just a glimpse into the stellar life, finding initial stellar model parameters that lead to specific observed objects requires substantial effort and expert knowledge. Typically probing parameter space of this problem is done using a trial-and-error approach, which is inefficient, incomplete and prone to bias. We propose to decipher this scientific challenge by formulating a suitable constrained global optimization problem in which the optimization problem is solved using either the Controlled Random Search method (CRS) or the MIDACO evolutionary ant-colony opti- mization algorithm. The MESA stellar evolution code is used to calculate the cost func- tion, and problem constraints are a combination of simple ranges of input parameters and observations-dependent penalty function. We use the resulting new package, MESA-GO, to identify initial conditions for progenitor stars of young, nearby, and therefore relatively well-observed supernovae. We present the results for our initial target objects, supernovae SN 1987A and SN 1993J. Luminosity and effective temperature are the observed variables and are part of the cost function. The initial progenitor mass, convective α parameter, semi-convection coef- ficient αsc and metallicity Z are the control variables (input variables). The objective is to minimize the difference between an observed state for the star and a model state using control variables (input variables) given the constraint that the model is a reacting system of hyperbolic conservation laws, with bounds on initial conditions.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Georgiadou_fsu_0071E_15471
Format: Thesis

Title: The Development of Inhomogeneous Microstructures during 3-Axis Forging.
Creator: Carnrike, Talya Rachel, Kalu, Peter N., Tawfiq, Kamal Sulaiman, Hruda, Simone Peterson, Moore, Carl A., Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of...
Show moreCarnrike, Talya Rachel, Kalu, Peter N., Tawfiq, Kamal Sulaiman, Hruda, Simone Peterson, Moore, Carl A., Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering
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Abstract/Description: Severe plastic deformation, especially 3-Axis Forging (3AF), has been used in several industries as a production method for various tools and equipment. Components or items produced by this method are characterized by inhomogeneous microstructures. A prior study done in this laboratory using 3AF on Cu and Nb materials revealed the presence of microstructural inhomogeneities upon the first cycle of processing. In this study, finite element method (Deform) was used to investigate the nature of...
Show moreSevere plastic deformation, especially 3-Axis Forging (3AF), has been used in several industries as a production method for various tools and equipment. Components or items produced by this method are characterized by inhomogeneous microstructures. A prior study done in this laboratory using 3AF on Cu and Nb materials revealed the presence of microstructural inhomogeneities upon the first cycle of processing. In this study, finite element method (Deform) was used to investigate the nature of the development of microstructural inhomogeneity when materials are subjected to 3AF. Analysis of the strain distribution patterns was carried out for uniaxial compression, 1 cycle and 2 cycles of 3AF subjected to three different primary displacement rates (2.54, 25.4, and 254 mm/s) and various friction factors (0, 0.08, 0.12, 0.25, 0.3, 0.4, 0.7, and 0.8). The study was confined to the first two cycles because the majority of grain refinement occurred in this region. Particular attention was paid to the friction factor, m, which is a function of the type of lubricant used during deformation. The results show that using lubricants with higher friction factor increased the strain range (difference between maximum and minimum effective strain), thus the degree of inhomogeneity during deformation. A critical friction factor, mc, was found to exist above which an inhomogeneous microstructure emerges. Analysis of the strain parameters revealed that there is a logarithmic relationship, y = a ln(x) + b, between the strain range, maximum effective strain and/or minimum effective strain, y, and the displacement rate, x. It is important to note that a and b are material constants. Niobium, Nb, was characterized by a higher strain range in all forms of deformation when compared to Cu. Flownet maps constructed for the deformation processes for friction factor m > mc revealed the existence of four major zones. Zone A (core), which corresponds to the maximum strain was found in the regions not affected by friction between the sample and compression plates. Zone C had the lowest strain due to its contact with the compression plates thereby restricted by friction. However, zones (B and D) exhibited medium to low strain as they are affected by friction but not to the degree of zone C. The flownet maps were found to correlate well with the experimental hardness data of the materials. The study clearly shows that the microstructural inhomogeneity developed during 3AF depends very much on the lubricant type used.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Carnrike_fsu_0071E_15479
Format: Thesis

Title: Unwilling Tools of Empire: Pan American Airways, Brazil and the Quest for Air Hegemony, 1929-1945.
Creator: Clemans, Paul, Piehler, G. Kurt, Driscoll, Amanda M., Grant, Jonathan A., Creswell, Michael, Mooney, Katherine Carmines, Johnson, M. Houston, Florida State University, College...
Show moreClemans, Paul, Piehler, G. Kurt, Driscoll, Amanda M., Grant, Jonathan A., Creswell, Michael, Mooney, Katherine Carmines, Johnson, M. Houston, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of History
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Abstract/Description: The American imperial aspirations to dominate international aviation struggled to overcome domestic and international opposition. United States presidents from the late 1920s and early 1930s adopted a strategy of providing Pan American Airways with preferential treatment in order to establish that airline as their chosen instrument in the international aviation market. They believed a singular airline company would concentrate the business of American international travelers in one entity,...
Show moreThe American imperial aspirations to dominate international aviation struggled to overcome domestic and international opposition. United States presidents from the late 1920s and early 1930s adopted a strategy of providing Pan American Airways with preferential treatment in order to establish that airline as their chosen instrument in the international aviation market. They believed a singular airline company would concentrate the business of American international travelers in one entity, and thus create the strongest possible entry into the market. The U.S. government helped Pan American merge with, buy out, or drive out competing American airlines from this market. However, the strategy contradicted American values of free enterprise, and open and fair competition for the U.S. government’s business. The resulting reconciliation with the American public and the U.S. Congress led to extended legislative negotiations and the creation of the Civil Aeronautic Authority and the Civil Aeronautics Board to regulate the industry. The Executive Branch wanted, and needed, a strong commercial presence in the international aviation arena both to compete with foreign airlines and to meet potential national defense demands. During the 1930s, the Administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt affirmed Pan American Airways as the U.S. monopoly for international air services. When the Axis Powers rose and popular American isolationism persisted in 1940, the Roosevelt Administration possessed a capable instrument to employ in making preparations for the coming conflict. The U.S. turned to Pan American to build military-ready air bases in Latin America under the guise of commercial airports expansion. Pan American initially refused the request on the basis that an American company operating in foreign countries would face severe recriminations for secretly serving as an instrument of the U.S. national defense. Still, the administration prevailed upon Pan American to undertake the airport construction and granted the company significant concessions for the service under a contract titled the Airport Development Program. The Brazilian government, especially the country’s armed forces, presented the most tenacious opposition to the projection of American power through their country. The first American defense plans called for the construction of new airports in Brazil to help defend the Western Hemisphere from a feared invasion by Nazi Germany. However, the Brazilians had developed strong ties with Germany that went so far as to include the purchase of modern military equipment from this country’s defense industry. In addition, many Brazilians perceived the Americans as just another imperial power that sought to dominate the country, like the Portuguese or British before them. Pan American negotiated with the Brazilian government for permission to build the airports in the early months of the Airport Development Program, but lost most of its expected benefits in the process. At the same time, the U.S. government negotiated directly with the Brazilian government for broad support of America’s war preparation agenda. The two negotiations occurred independently, but the Brazilians certainly associated the Airport Development Program, the Congressional Lend-Lease programs, and associated economic development packages as U.S. initiatives. The U.S. military appeared to have carte blanche to conduct air operations while the Second World War lasted. However, the Brazilian cooperation and American benefits ceased with the conclusion of the war. Far from wielding omnipotent, dictatorial power, the U.S. government negotiated the ability to project military power through each of its relationships. It negotiated with Pan American, the American public, and the U.S. Congress to establish an American monopoly in the international aviation market. The U.S. administration further negotiated with Pan American to assist in the national defense and airport construction. Lastly, the administration negotiated with the Brazilians to construct airports there and conduct U.S. air operations in Brazil. For these reasons, the American empire may more aptly be characterized as a fractured distribution of powers than a cohesive imperial power seeking to enforce its singular international will.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Clemans_fsu_0071E_15587
Format: Thesis

Title: Bolen Projectile Point Use-Life: An Expended Utility Study of Bolen Points from Early Archaic Florida.
Creator: Cross, Austin F., Halligan, Jessi J., Leppard, Thomas P., Peres, Tanya M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description: The end of the Pleistocene and subsequent transition into the early Holocene marked a time of great environmental, climatic, and geological flux in Florida. Furthermore, these changes influenced a shift in the technologies of people inhabiting the Southeast at this time. Late Paleoindian groups at the end of the Pleistocene utilized lanceolate-shaped projectile points, whereas the Early Archaic groups of the transitional Holocene utilized side- and corner-notched points. Past research on...
Show moreThe end of the Pleistocene and subsequent transition into the early Holocene marked a time of great environmental, climatic, and geological flux in Florida. Furthermore, these changes influenced a shift in the technologies of people inhabiting the Southeast at this time. Late Paleoindian groups at the end of the Pleistocene utilized lanceolate-shaped projectile points, whereas the Early Archaic groups of the transitional Holocene utilized side- and corner-notched points. Past research on these Early Archaic groups has shown that the shift in technology may have been influenced by the Dalton culture entering the region from the greater Southeast, sharing their ideas and technologies and spreading the notched point type around the region. Furthermore, the earliest notched points in the Florida record are extremely varied in terms of size and overall shape. Because of this, it has been believed that Early Archaic points in Florida, Bolen points specifically, had many subtypes, sometimes up to six or seven depending on the source. However, due to the success of curation studies being applied to Dalton points of the Paleoindian/Archaic transition, it is possible that the large variation in Bolen point styles is not reflective of varying subtypes of Bolen points, but instead the variation is representative of successive stages of resharpening a projectile point throughout its use-life. The research in this thesis focuses on applying methods of studying tool curation over time to a set of Bolen points from the archaeological record in Florida.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Cross_fsu_0071N_15574
Format: Thesis

Title: DDH: A Historical Life.
Creator: DeFeudis, Michael R., Blaufarb, Rafe, Souva, Mark A., Grant, Jonathan A., Creswell, Michael, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of History
Abstract/Description: This work is focused on the impact and influence of Dr. Donald D. Horward on studies of the French Revolution and First Empire from 1960-present. It can be used as a lens to understand the development, expansion, and contraction of research, publications, graduate student production, academic dialogue, and outside private interest in the two fields. The study marks the importance of Dr. Horward’s influence on international cooperation and dialogue within the field of Napoleonic studies. It...
Show moreThis work is focused on the impact and influence of Dr. Donald D. Horward on studies of the French Revolution and First Empire from 1960-present. It can be used as a lens to understand the development, expansion, and contraction of research, publications, graduate student production, academic dialogue, and outside private interest in the two fields. The study marks the importance of Dr. Horward’s influence on international cooperation and dialogue within the field of Napoleonic studies. It highlights how that influence led to the involvement of national governments in projects dedicated to their history, particularly in France, England, Spain, and Portugal. Horward was the primary engine behind combined academic efforts to expand the reach of military history within studies of Napoleonic Europe. Horward’s expertise, particularly in the Peninsular War, eventually caught the eye of the U.S. military and established a unique link between academia and various service branch schools, not the least of which was West Point, for a quarter century thereafter. This relationship strengthened and burgeoned into a dynamic sector within the broader field of Napoleonic studies, as these soldier-scholars not only taught future army officers, but developed into academics in their own right. Finally, Dr. Horward was a major catalyst driving the private funding pumped into the field in the last two decades of the 20th century, just as the fields reached their high tide in production and interest.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_DeFeudis_fsu_0071E_15570
Format: Thesis

Title: Building Tools for Forensic Analysis of Mobile and IoT Applications Using Selective Data Extraction.
Creator: Dorai, Gokila, Aggarwal, Sudhir, Mio, Washington, Kumar, Piyush, Mukherjee, Tathagata, Wong, Sandy, Liu, Xiuwen, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences,...
Show moreDorai, Gokila, Aggarwal, Sudhir, Mio, Washington, Kumar, Piyush, Mukherjee, Tathagata, Wong, Sandy, Liu, Xiuwen, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Computer Science
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Abstract/Description: The amount of data stored on smart phones and other mobile devices has increased phenomenally over the last decade. As a result there has been a spike in the use of these devices for documenting different scenarios that are encountered by the users as they go about their daily lives. Smart phone data has also become a critical evidence in the court for several criminal cases. Forensic software tool developers are continually developing new techniques for the extraction of data from several...
Show moreThe amount of data stored on smart phones and other mobile devices has increased phenomenally over the last decade. As a result there has been a spike in the use of these devices for documenting different scenarios that are encountered by the users as they go about their daily lives. Smart phone data has also become a critical evidence in the court for several criminal cases. Forensic software tool developers are continually developing new techniques for the extraction of data from several smart phones. The two most common techniques are physical and logical extraction. Logical extraction is a technique for extracting the files and folders without any of the deleted data from a mobile device. For logical extraction, a software tool is used to make a copy of the files. Experienced examiners have to know how each of these devices and operating systems function, the many locations that data can be on each different device/OS, as well as how to access and work with all of that information in a forensically sound manner. This dissertation discusses about the multi-fold contributions we have made in order to improve forensic analysis and extraction of data from smart phones. In this dissertation, I have discussed various tools and systems that have been built for forensic analysis of mobile and IoT applications using selective data extraction, machine learning, classification techniques and inference engines.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Dorai_fsu_0071E_15523
Format: Thesis

Title: Exploring the Emergence and Dynamics of Meanings in a Public Network at Local Level in Chile.
Creator: Arias, Karina, Brower, Ralph S., Doan, Petra L., Berry, Frances Stokes, DeHaven-Smith, Lance, Butler, William Hale, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and...
Show moreArias, Karina, Brower, Ralph S., Doan, Petra L., Berry, Frances Stokes, DeHaven-Smith, Lance, Butler, William Hale, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Askew School of Public Administration and Policy
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Abstract/Description: This is a study about how participants in a public network understand and construct meanings for their relationships, where this construction of meanings comes from, and the effect they produce in the network operation. Three propositions guide this study. First, the way people interpret their relationships will have consequences on the network’s emergence, change, and outcome. Second, given actors’ diversity and novelty of public networks as a form of organizational interaction, multiple...
Show moreThis is a study about how participants in a public network understand and construct meanings for their relationships, where this construction of meanings comes from, and the effect they produce in the network operation. Three propositions guide this study. First, the way people interpret their relationships will have consequences on the network’s emergence, change, and outcome. Second, given actors’ diversity and novelty of public networks as a form of organizational interaction, multiple interpretations of relationships are possible. This potential diversity of meanings challenges the stability of network operations. Third, everyday reasoning relies heavily upon culturally available sets of meanings. Thus, a cultural explanation of public networks is not a residual account but a central component. The study applies a qualitative case study approach and relies on ethnographic methods of data collection to uncover the meanings of relationships in the context of an inter-local partnership in Chile. A grounded analysis of empirical material and a complementary social network analysis of network data yielded to propositions about the relations between contextual conditions, network meanings, and consequences of network meaning construction. The study finds no singular but multiple meanings attached to the relationships forming the partnership; together they can describe what members understand as the whole network. The study shows that the meanings of the partnership are grounded on a context constructed by actors based on shared schemata. These schemata shape members’ interpretation of the context and allow them to perceive certain events as opportunities for collective actions from where new meanings of ties emerge. Besides, shared schemata give shape to the operation of the partnership by limiting the range of alternatives and by predisposing members to interact in certain ways. These ways of operation demonstrate functional and non-functional effects. This study conclusion suggests some conceptual and theoretical “turns” that can be incorporated to the study of cultural phenomenon in public networks and three research extensions.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: 2019_Fall_Arias_fsu_0071E_13254
Format: Thesis

Theses and Dissertations (10130)	+ -
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Music (957)	+ -
Psychology (522)	+ -
History (469)	+ -
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