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- Title
- Second Sight: Re-Imaging the Optic Regime in Behn's, Southerne's, Smith's, and Mackenzie's Colonial Texts of the Long Eighteenth Century.
- Creator
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Campbell, Megan L., Burke, Helen, Kim, Eundok, Faulk, Barry, Ward, Candace, Department of English, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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Since the earliest records of culture, mankind has represented its ocularcentric focus through images of sight. Freud theorizes that these images of viewership represent dynamics of power: those who see, actively control, and those who are seen, passively wait to be acted upon. In the archetypes of Western culture, these visual dynamics follow a gendered binary—active/masculine versus passive/feminine. Freud believes that these visual behaviors are determined during the psychosexual stages of...
Show moreSince the earliest records of culture, mankind has represented its ocularcentric focus through images of sight. Freud theorizes that these images of viewership represent dynamics of power: those who see, actively control, and those who are seen, passively wait to be acted upon. In the archetypes of Western culture, these visual dynamics follow a gendered binary—active/masculine versus passive/feminine. Freud believes that these visual behaviors are determined during the psychosexual stages of development, and these roles are then reinforced through cultural norms. Freudian theory stood as the accepted model of behavioral analysis until late into the twentieth century when feminist theorists like Luce Irigaray, Laura Mulvey, and Ann E. Kaplan began examining and deconstructing patriarchal beliefs about visuality. These theorists agree that women can assume the masculine position of visuality and co-opt the active position of sight for themselves. This particular assumption of power can be seen in women's colonial narratives of the eighteenth century, where European women were vested with power over colonial subjects, native men and women alike. In an interesting duality, European women simultaneously inhabited the object position of passivity vis-à-vis their male colonizer counterpart and the subject position of activity vis-à-vis the colonial Other. This multi-dimensional position allowed for identificatory bonds across gender and racial lines and resulted in contradictory images of spectatorship within women's colonial narratives. This study examines the spectatorship imagery in Aphra Behn's Oroonoko, Thomas Southerne's Oroonoko, Charlotte Smith's Desmond and The Wanderings of Warwick, and Anna Maria Mackenzie's Slavery, or the Times to account for the shifts in loyalty and explain the situational alliances that women forged both with their countrymen, viewing the Other as inferior and sub-human, and with the colonized, viewing them as subjects in their own right, as their equals.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0100
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- A Multi-Criteria Approach for Rating Roadway Sustainability.
- Creator
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Campbell, Ashley J., Sobanjo, John O., Spainhour, Lisa, Chen, Gang, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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"Green engineering" is the newest technology implemented for sustainability in the design of buildings and most recently highways. Sustainability concepts applied to the design and construction of roadways includes long term planning, new technologies and methods, construction management techniques and resource reuse. Green engineering is part of the global goal of long-term sustainability, which is to meet the needs of today without compromising those of the future. Leadership in Energy and...
Show more"Green engineering" is the newest technology implemented for sustainability in the design of buildings and most recently highways. Sustainability concepts applied to the design and construction of roadways includes long term planning, new technologies and methods, construction management techniques and resource reuse. Green engineering is part of the global goal of long-term sustainability, which is to meet the needs of today without compromising those of the future. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) rating systems have been heavily promoted and utilized in the construction industry, but only with applications to buildings. There is no such criteria for rating roadway construction. Only one documented attempt has been made to adapt the LEED rating system to highway construction but with limited results. While predominantly used and accepted, the LEED rating points are not quantitative and are not based on any traditional decision making theory. This research presents an evaluation of using the LEED rating system techniques for highway construction. A multi-criteria decision making model (MCDM) is then formulated as a framework for evaluating sustainability in roadway construction. Within Leon County, Blueprint 2000 is an intergovernmental organization to efficiently manage and plan roadway construction projects within Tallahassee, Florida. In cooperation with Blueprint 2000, one of their projects will be used as the local sustainable roadway example. This project will serve as the case study and be evaluated for successful applications of sustainable engineering utilized during roadway design and construction. This research will also include an analysis of the multi-criteria rating system developed on a local roadway project. Research will be comprehensive on the topics of stormwater design, erosion control and the usage of various construction materials. The completion of this research will offer a new insight into rating sustainability and also on both new technologies and innovative practices within the transportation and construction management fields.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0099
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- A Psycholinguistic Investigation of Grammatical Class in Second Language Lexical Processing.
- Creator
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Campbell, Alicia, Sunderman, Gretchen, Kaschak, Michael, Leeser, Michael, Reglero, Lara, Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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This dissertation examines a previously under-researched factor in second language (L2) lexical processing, namely, grammatical class. Although a wealth of research using monolingual and brain-damaged participants suggests that this variable is active in lexical processing, little research has examined this factor with L2 learners. The goal of this dissertation is to investigate the relative contributions of grammatical class and semantic factors in L2 lexical processing and the nature of the...
Show moreThis dissertation examines a previously under-researched factor in second language (L2) lexical processing, namely, grammatical class. Although a wealth of research using monolingual and brain-damaged participants suggests that this variable is active in lexical processing, little research has examined this factor with L2 learners. The goal of this dissertation is to investigate the relative contributions of grammatical class and semantic factors in L2 lexical processing and the nature of the relationship between these two variables throughout development. Accordingly, a series of psycholinguistic experiments were conducted with native speakers of English at different stages of L2 proficiency in Spanish. The specific goal was to put grammatical class and semantic similarity in direct competition to clarify the relationship between these two variables during comprehension and production. In addition to the two comprehension and one production experimental tasks, the participants performed various proficiency measures, in order to thoroughly examine developmental differences in various domains. The results suggest that L2 learners do utilize grammatical class in L2 lexical processing and that this variable can interact with semantic similarity to affect performance. Implications for models of bilingual lexical processing are presented with respect to the inclusion of grammatical class and developmental differences.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0098
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Let He Who Objects Produce Sound Evidence: Lord Henry Howard and the Sixteenth Century Gynecocracy Debate.
- Creator
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Caney, Anna Christine, Strait, Paul, Grant, Jonathan, Singh, Bawa Satinder, Department of History, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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Glorious, creative, contentious and optimistic are all words that have been used to describe England in the second half of the Sixteenth-century. The Tudor age was one of great literature, military victory, religious tension, and, it was the age of queens. However, beneath the atmosphere of optimism that surrounded Mary I's, and then Elizabeth I's, ascension to the English throne lay a controversy that dug to the core of a man's beliefs about society, challenged the foundations of traditional...
Show moreGlorious, creative, contentious and optimistic are all words that have been used to describe England in the second half of the Sixteenth-century. The Tudor age was one of great literature, military victory, religious tension, and, it was the age of queens. However, beneath the atmosphere of optimism that surrounded Mary I's, and then Elizabeth I's, ascension to the English throne lay a controversy that dug to the core of a man's beliefs about society, challenged the foundations of traditional political thought, and forced men to decide what loyalty truly was. With Edward VI's death in 1553, for the first time since the twelfth-century, there were no male heirs to the English throne. Not only was the immediate heir to the throne of England female, but all of the possible legal contenders for the thrones of England and Scotland were female as well. Mary's succession fostered a debate among men as to whether a woman was not only legally allowed to rule England, but if she was spiritually and physically capable of doing so. Pamphlets and books discussing female rule were published throughout Mary's reign, and with Elizabeth's succession in 1558, the debate continued. This thesis seeks to discuss the Sixteenth century gynecocracy debate and Lord Henry Howard's unpublished defense of female rule, "The Dutifull Defence of the Lawfull Regiment of Weomen," which was presented to Queen Elizabeth in 1590. Howard's beliefs and interpretation of Scripture, Philosophy and Law differ in many respects from contemporary authors who were writing both against, and in favor of women in general and female monarchy. Howard's theories presented in "Dutifull Defence" will be compared to other contemporary works written on the subject, especially John Knox's First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women. After discussing Howard's life and motives for writing "Dutifull Defense," an analysis of his manuscript will be made by looking at the physical manuscripts themselves, comparing Howard's use of theology, philosophy and law to other contemporary writers, and revealing what Howard believed about women in an age when they were still seen as physically inferior, and mentally incapable, of administering any form of government. In order to achieve a thorough view of Howard, I have consulted his personal letters, letters from Howard's contemporaries, documents concerning Howard in the State Papers, and secondary sources discussing Howard, his life, and his written work. Additionally, works on early modern political thought, ancient and medieval philosophy and law, women and gender in the early modern period, and early modern English history have been consulted to provide contextual and content analysis. Combined, they will provide a view of a man who was remarkable in his time, and a work that was groundbreaking in his world.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0097
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Exploration of Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Oligomers as Ion Exchange Media for Porous and Layered Oxides.
- Creator
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Canfield, Gina Marie, Latturner, Susan E., Locke, Bruce R., Stiegman, Albert E., Dalal, Naresh, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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Zeolite structures consist of a negatively charged, porous, aluminosilicate framework with the ability to ion exchange its charge balancing cations. However, problems associated with traditional methods of aqueous ion exchange can adversely affect the behavior and the industrial quality of these zeolites. In this work, an alternative to traditional ion exchange media was explored. Poly ethylene glycol (PEG) oligomers are known to dissolve and transport cations; therefore it was theorized that...
Show moreZeolite structures consist of a negatively charged, porous, aluminosilicate framework with the ability to ion exchange its charge balancing cations. However, problems associated with traditional methods of aqueous ion exchange can adversely affect the behavior and the industrial quality of these zeolites. In this work, an alternative to traditional ion exchange media was explored. Poly ethylene glycol (PEG) oligomers are known to dissolve and transport cations; therefore it was theorized that these solvents could be used to mobilize and exchange ions into zeolite structures. The theory was first tested with the ion exchange of Li+ for Na+ into hydrated and dehydrated sodalite using a series of PEG oligomers with different chain lengths and end groups. The outstanding results from this phase of work, with over 90% Li ion exchange, prompted its continuation with the exchange of catalytically active transition metal ions (Mn2+, Fe2+, and Co2+) into hydrated and dehydrated Zeolite X. Use of these oligomer solvents helped maintain the zeolite structure and allowed for a maximum of 91% ion exchange under hydrated conditions. Although more extensive oligomer incorporation under dehydrated conditions allowed for only 6% exchange, the catalytic activity of these samples was vastly improved over traditionally exchanged samples. The maximum turnover frequency of dehydrated Mn oligomer exchanged samples toward decomposition of NO was 2.37 x 10-2 s-1, whereas that of hydrated Mn aqueous exchanged samples was 9.67 x 10-4 s-1. Parallel ion exchange experiments involving luminescent rare earth metals (Nd3+ and Er3+) gave similar positive results. In addition, data from Raman spectroscopy indicated that while the aqueous exchange method promoted rare earth framework substitution, the oligomer solvents maintained exchange into the zeolite cages. The optimal conditions provided by the oligomer exchange method allowed for improved luminescence of the RE ions. Given its success, this method has been extended to the ion exchange of layered oxides, such as perovskites and cobaltates. Although this work has just begun, promising initial data indicate the possibility of continuing this work far into the future.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0096
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Predicting Third Grade Students' FCAT Reading Achievement and Oral Reading Fluency Using Student Demographic, Academic History, and Performance Indicators.
- Creator
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Canto, Angela I., Proctor, Briley E., Al Otaiba, Stephanie Dent, Prevatt, Frances, Peterson, Gary, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State...
Show moreCanto, Angela I., Proctor, Briley E., Al Otaiba, Stephanie Dent, Prevatt, Frances, Peterson, Gary, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University
Show less - Abstract/Description
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The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) is Florida's annual measure of student yearly academic progress with major implications for individual students and schools. The present study explored the inter-relationships among student background and reading performance indicators and the predictive utility of those variables as a means to identify students at risk for FCAT failure. The following indicators were incorporated into this study: student demographics (gender and socio-economic...
Show moreThe Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) is Florida's annual measure of student yearly academic progress with major implications for individual students and schools. The present study explored the inter-relationships among student background and reading performance indicators and the predictive utility of those variables as a means to identify students at risk for FCAT failure. The following indicators were incorporated into this study: student demographics (gender and socio-economic status), academic history (attendance rate and number of prior grade retentions), teacher-rated evaluation of student performance (student participation in Reading activities and Reading grade), and reading skill (decoding and oral reading fluency). Decoding and oral reading fluency were measured using the DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) and Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF) subtests (Good and Kaminski, 2002b), three months prior to FCAT administration. The student background and performance variables were first used in a multiple regression analysis to predict FCAT Reading achievement. Among these predictor variables, ORF, student's third quarter Reading grade, and SES were found to be statistically significant predictors of Reading FCAT-SSS scores. The strong correlation found between ORF and FCAT achievement in this study was congruent with results in previous studies, whereas the addition of Reading grade and SES as significant predictors of Reading FCAT-SSS scores were new findings in this study. Next, it was of interest to determine whether any of the aforementioned indicators also predicted ORF ability. Reading grade and NWF scores were both statistically significant predictors of ORF performance. Lastly, this study examined the utility of two risk models of Reading failure that use cutpoint guidelines for student performance on the DIBELS ORF subtest to determine risk level. These cutpoint models were applied to this data set to determine the usefulness of these models in identifying students who may be at risk for reading difficulty. Both models explored were moderately effective in identifying at-risk students. However, a three-category risk model (low, moderate, high) was determined to be of greatest assistance to educators for efficiency and ease. In conclusion, this author identified limitations inherent in the present study and offered recommendations for future research directions.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0095
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Rapid Automatized Naming as a Predictor of Children's Reading Performance: What Is the Role of Inattention?.
- Creator
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Cantor, Brenlee Gayle, Lonigan, Christopher J., Lang, Laura, Berler, Ellen, Kistner, Janet, Wagner, Rick, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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The purpose of this study was to determine if children's performance on rapid automatic naming (RAN) tasks served as a mediator in the relation between inattention and reading. Although previous studies have produced mixed results when examining the relation between naming performance and ADHD, ADHD has typically been defined using DSM IIIR or DSM IV criteria, which do not require individuals to evidence symptoms of inattention. This study expands the literature by focusing on inattention,...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to determine if children's performance on rapid automatic naming (RAN) tasks served as a mediator in the relation between inattention and reading. Although previous studies have produced mixed results when examining the relation between naming performance and ADHD, ADHD has typically been defined using DSM IIIR or DSM IV criteria, which do not require individuals to evidence symptoms of inattention. This study expands the literature by focusing on inattention, the component of ADHD that has been shown to be most related to reading. Children from second to fourth grade classrooms completed two individual testing sessions which included assessment of their phonological awareness, naming (RAN-letters, RAN-digits, RAN-objects, RAN-colors), and reading ability. Inattention was assessed using both the Conners Continuous Performance Task (CPT; Conners, 2000) and parent ratings. Relations between inattention, naming, phonological awareness and reading were examined using correlation and hierarchical regression analyses. Consistent with previous research, performance on RAN-letters and RAN-digits, but not performance on RAN-objects and RAN-colors, was related to children's scores on reading measures. Although CPT performance was associated with phonological awareness in this study, neither performance on the CPT nor parent-ratings of attention was associated with children's performance on the RAN tasks. Consequently, the results of this study failed to find support for the hypothesis that naming performance mediates the relation between inattention and reading outcomes.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0094
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Adjustment to Parkinson's Disease: The Role of Coping, Control, and Goal Orientation.
- Creator
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Cantrell, Courtney Michelle, Licht, Mark H., Toole, Tonya, Schatschneider, Chris, Licht, Barbara, Kistner, Janet, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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The present study investigates a possible causal model for the prediction of subjective well-being in Parkinson's disease (PD). The primary hypothesis proposed that, controlling for disease severity, validation-seeking attitudes among individuals with PD would predict less use of secondary control coping strategies, more relinquishing of control in the face of PD symptoms, lower psychosocial adjustment to PD, and lower subjective well-being. I also proposed that validation-seeking would...
Show moreThe present study investigates a possible causal model for the prediction of subjective well-being in Parkinson's disease (PD). The primary hypothesis proposed that, controlling for disease severity, validation-seeking attitudes among individuals with PD would predict less use of secondary control coping strategies, more relinquishing of control in the face of PD symptoms, lower psychosocial adjustment to PD, and lower subjective well-being. I also proposed that validation-seeking would indirectly contribute to lower adjustment to PD through the type of coping strategies used, as well as indirectly affect subjective well-being through both coping strategies and adjustment to PD (operationalized as fewer restrictions to work and social participation). First, the concept of relinquished control could not be investigated due to validity issues with the measure or the construct, so the results were limited to only secondary control coping efforts. Consistent with the hypotheses, validation-seeking attitudes did predict lower positive subjective well-being and better adjustment to PD predicted better overall subjective well-being (i.e., lower depressive symptoms and enhanced positive subjective well-being), controlling for all other variables. However, hypotheses regarding relationships between secondary control coping strategies and validation-seeking, adjustment to PD, and subjective well-being were not supported. Furthermore, exploratory analyses of these relationships suggested that, contrary to the hypothesis that secondary control coping would predict positive outcomes, the use of secondary control coping strategies predicted higher depressive symptoms and poorer adjustment to PD. Closer investigation of the secondary control coping measure suggests that individuals may not have distinguished between voluntary use of secondary control coping strategies and restrictions in activities that had to be made due to PD, especially when reporting changes in what they were doing as a result of PD.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0093
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Moving Toward Stasis: The Desirability of a Rhetoric Revival in Contemporary American Legal Training.
- Creator
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Canup, Jeffrey A., Poster, Carol, Cooper, Mark, Bickley, Bruce, Department of English, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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This work evaluates and compares the ancient rhetorical method and the modern case method of legal training. Further, it diagnoses an apparent problem with the modern method: lawyers are graduating from law schools without an understanding of the fundamental principles of argumentation. In advocating for a return to the rhetorical method, I propose that modern legal institutions abandon their inductive teaching methods and revive the deductive methods of old. This work explains how forensic...
Show moreThis work evaluates and compares the ancient rhetorical method and the modern case method of legal training. Further, it diagnoses an apparent problem with the modern method: lawyers are graduating from law schools without an understanding of the fundamental principles of argumentation. In advocating for a return to the rhetorical method, I propose that modern legal institutions abandon their inductive teaching methods and revive the deductive methods of old. This work explains how forensic rhetoric (courtroom oratory) is most useful to law students. Ultimately, this work achieves its goals in three ways: (1) by analyzing the historical relationship between ancient rhetoric and law, (2) by discussing specific heuristics ancient rhetorical/legal educators used to prepare students, specifically stasis theory and declamatio; and (3) by analyzing the methods and texts modern institutions use and offering ways to implement the return to a deductive and rhetorically based legal education.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0092
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Analysis and Implementation of Grid-Connected Solar PV with Harmonic Compensation.
- Creator
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Cao, Jianwu, Edrington, Chris S., Foo, Simon Y., DeBrunner, Linda, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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A grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system with the functionality of harmonic compensation is introduced in this thesis. Based on this, a test bed is built up to validate the practicability of the proposed scheme. Increasing interest and investment in renewable energy give rise to rapid development of high penetration solar energy. There are multiple ways to interface PV arrays with the power grid. The topology of a multi-string two-stage PV module with a centralized inverter is developed in...
Show moreA grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system with the functionality of harmonic compensation is introduced in this thesis. Based on this, a test bed is built up to validate the practicability of the proposed scheme. Increasing interest and investment in renewable energy give rise to rapid development of high penetration solar energy. There are multiple ways to interface PV arrays with the power grid. The topology of a multi-string two-stage PV module with a centralized inverter is developed in the thesis, which is more suitable for medium power applications. However, the output of solar arrays varies due to change of solar irradiation and weather conditions. Therefore, the maximum power point tracking algorithm is implemented in DC/DC converter to enable PV arrays to operate at maximum power point. The incremental conductance algorithm is employed to control the boost converter. Then the central inverter is controlled by decoupled current control algorithm and interfaced with the utility grid via the distribution network. Besides, the current control of the inverter is independent of maximum power point control of the DC/DC converter. Finally, system performance and transient responses are analyzed under the disturbance conditions. And system stability is evaluated when solar irradiation change or system fault happens. The system is simulated in MATLAB. More and more use of static power converter and switched mode power supplies injects harmonic current into the power system. It's advisable that PV can be controlled to compensate the harmonic current as well as supply the active power. The harmonic current is extracted by using time-domain current detection method, which is much easier to implement and doesn't need any transformation comparing with the instantaneous power theory method. The system simulation is accomplished and validated by using PSCAD/EMTDC. Meanwhile, experimental test bed is also established to verify the proposed algorithm. Eventually, the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the grid current after compensation is analyzed and compared with the standard of IEEE 519-1992.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0091
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Determining the Error Characteristics of H*WIND.
- Creator
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Dinapoli, Steven, Bourassa, Mark, Powell, Mark, Hart, Robert, Liu, Guosheng, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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The HRD Real-time Hurricane Wind Analysis System (H*Wind) is a software application used by NOAA's Hurricane Research Division to create a gridded tropical cyclone wind analysis based on a wide range of observations. One application of H*Wind fields is calibration of scatterometers for high wind speed environments. Unfortunately, the accuracy of the H*Wind product has not been studied extensively, and therefore the accuracy of scatterometer calibrations in these environments is also unknown....
Show moreThe HRD Real-time Hurricane Wind Analysis System (H*Wind) is a software application used by NOAA's Hurricane Research Division to create a gridded tropical cyclone wind analysis based on a wide range of observations. One application of H*Wind fields is calibration of scatterometers for high wind speed environments. Unfortunately, the accuracy of the H*Wind product has not been studied extensively, and therefore the accuracy of scatterometer calibrations in these environments is also unknown. This investigation seeks to determine the uncertainty in the H*Wind product and estimate the contributions of several potential error sources. These error sources include random observation errors, relative bias between different data types, temporal drift resulting from combining non-simultaneous measurements, and smoothing and interpolation errors in the H*Wind software. The effects of relative bias between different data types and random observation errors are determined by performing statistical calculations on the observed wind speeds. We show that in the absence of large biases, the total contribution of all error sources results in an uncertainty of approximately 7% near the storm center, which increases to nearly 15% near the tropical storm force wind radius. The H*Wind analysis algorithm is found to introduce a positive bias to the wind speeds near the storm center, where the analyzed wind speeds are enhanced to match the highest observations. In addition, spectral analyses are performed to ensure that the filter wavelength of the final analysis product matches user specifications. With increased knowledge of these error sources and their effects, researchers will have a better understanding of the uncertainty in the H*Wind product, and can then judge the suitability of H*Wind for various research applications
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0090
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- A Study to Determine the Effects of Mass Media on a College Age Male and Female Decision to Become Sexually Active as an Adolescent.
- Creator
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Dickey, Sabrina L., Co-, Susan Porterfield, Co-, Laurie Grubbs, Speake, Dianne, College of Nursing, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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Technology has expanded the availability of information through various routes, such as, television, music, movies, internet and magazines. These routes avail adolescents to endless learning venues about any issue that might be of interest to them. Television is a common media mode and research indicates approximately 83% of programming contains sexual content. Adolescents being impressionable believe the sexual content in the media is natural, which may lead to an altered perception of what...
Show moreTechnology has expanded the availability of information through various routes, such as, television, music, movies, internet and magazines. These routes avail adolescents to endless learning venues about any issue that might be of interest to them. Television is a common media mode and research indicates approximately 83% of programming contains sexual content. Adolescents being impressionable believe the sexual content in the media is natural, which may lead to an altered perception of what types of behaviors are appropriate for them. This retrospective descriptive study explored whether mass media prompted individuals to become sexually active as adolescents. The sample population of 180 college age students came from a public university in the southeast United States. Factors examined in the study were age, gender, race, and amount and mode of media consumed. The Sexual Media Diet (SMD) Questionnaire, along with sexual history demographics, was administered to college students (N=180) to explore how much time and type of media they consumed as they were developing through their adolescent years. Data from the survey established an association between age of sexual initiation and gender. Results indicated females consume more sexual content from the media than males but males were initiating sexual intercourse at younger ages than females. Race could not be used as a single variable to predict the age of initiating sexual intercourse. An additional finding was the ability to predict the college age student's virgin status based on age, race, sexual media content score, protection knowledge, and sexually transmitted disease knowledge
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0089
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Community Schools in Mali: A Multilevel Analysis.
- Creator
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Capacci Carneal, Christine, Monkman, Karen, Miles, Rebecca, Easton, Peter, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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Community schools are alternative education strategies hailed in some circles as successful educational development endeavors. In Mali, support for community schools began in 1992 using nonformal education strategies to engage rural Malians in a three-year endeavor to provide literacy, numeracy, vocational, and life skills to children in rural areas with limited access to formal schools. Today there are over 1700 community schools in Mali offering the full primary cycle. This study examines...
Show moreCommunity schools are alternative education strategies hailed in some circles as successful educational development endeavors. In Mali, support for community schools began in 1992 using nonformal education strategies to engage rural Malians in a three-year endeavor to provide literacy, numeracy, vocational, and life skills to children in rural areas with limited access to formal schools. Today there are over 1700 community schools in Mali offering the full primary cycle. This study examines community schools in Mali from multiple standpoints to analyze various stakeholder understandings of and experiences with them from three separate, yet overlapping levels: international, national, and local. What are the notions and practices regarding community schools at each level? Where do opinions of community schools converge and what are the differences in opinion at the various levels? The community schools in Mali, in this study supported with the assistance of Save the Children/USA, serve as a case study to present an embedded and layered analysis of the various viewpoints attributed to community schools by different stakeholders. The study includes an overview and examination of the nature and history of community schools in Mali based on analytical document reviews and field research done during the 1999-2000 academic year. Interpretive frameworks are considered to analyze why community schools are popular educational development strategies. The research contributes to a more integrated understanding of uses of and perceptions regarding community schools in Mali. At different levels diverse experiences exist regarding community schools. Results from the study include that communication between stakeholders at various levels is often challenging, that different ideas exist about what constitutes a "community" school, and that there is both harmony and disharmony in opinion regarding the direction of the community schools, particularly when referring to their ability to serve local versus national and international needs. Though community schools offer educational opportunities to marginalized children in Mali, there is debate over their purpose and ability to contribute to social change and development in rural, undeveloped areas. Paradoxically, though hailed for their "alternative" nature, community schools more often serve "traditional" education efforts and the international goal of achieving "education for all."
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0088
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Gender and Violence: Women's Responses to Being Stalked.
- Creator
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Dietz, Noella A., Martin, Patricia Yancey, Cowart, Marie, Padavic, Irene, Reid, Lori, Department of Sociology, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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Stalking became defined as a social problem in the U.S. in 1990, after several celebrities and extensive media attention revealed that the targets of stalking are not merely harassed, but are victimized similarly to other victims of violent crimes. Scholarly and legal definitions of stalking rest on three criteria: a) a pattern of harassing behavior by the stalker; b) use of force or threat of force and/or intimidation; and c) the target's admission to feeling fearful. Targets are not defined...
Show moreStalking became defined as a social problem in the U.S. in 1990, after several celebrities and extensive media attention revealed that the targets of stalking are not merely harassed, but are victimized similarly to other victims of violent crimes. Scholarly and legal definitions of stalking rest on three criteria: a) a pattern of harassing behavior by the stalker; b) use of force or threat of force and/or intimidation; and c) the target's admission to feeling fearful. Targets are not defined as having been stalked unless they were afraid, making this crime unique among crimes of interpersonal violence. This study, using a national random sample of 8,000 adult women (between the ages of 18 and 65+), analyzes who is stalked, relations between target and stalker, and the effects of being stalked on targets. Seventeen percent of women said they had been stalked (N=1,336), 83 percent had not (N=6,665), suggesting that the problem is perhaps more widespread than generally thought. Native American women, younger women, divorced/separated women, slightly more educated women, and unemployed women or students were stalked more than other women. My analysis focused on four dependent concepts: (1) who was stalked versus not; (2) whether the target felt fearful; (3) the amount of personal distress caused by the stalking; and (4) the level of "institutional" response by the targeted woman (e.g., calling the police, seeking restraining orders, or filing criminal charges). The predictor concepts included: (1) the number of stalking experiences endured; (2) the relationship between the stalker and the target (spouse/partner or ex- or other family member, boyfriend, acquaintance, and stranger); (3) the content of the stalking practices (physical monitoring, communicative monitoring, and other); (4) the experience of fear; and (5) women's sociodemographic characteristics.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2003
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0087
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Individual Differences in Behavioral Sensitization to Amphetamine.
- Creator
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Dietz, David Matthew, Kabbaj, Mohamed, Stefanovic, Branko, Devine, Darragh, Kelley, Collen, Contreras, Robert, Wang, Zuoxin, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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It has been well established that there is a great deal of individual variability in the response to drugs of abuse as well as to stressful life events. The overall aim of this dissertation is to simply ask what are the neurobiological mechanisms that may make some individuals more to prone to succumb to addictive properties of drugs of abuse, and how may stressful life events alter susceptibility? In humans, the personality trait of sensation seeking has been highly correlated to "risky"...
Show moreIt has been well established that there is a great deal of individual variability in the response to drugs of abuse as well as to stressful life events. The overall aim of this dissertation is to simply ask what are the neurobiological mechanisms that may make some individuals more to prone to succumb to addictive properties of drugs of abuse, and how may stressful life events alter susceptibility? In humans, the personality trait of sensation seeking has been highly correlated to "risky" behaviors including drug taking. In rats, there exists an animal model of sensation seeking in which a population of outbred rats can be termed High Responders (HR), or Low Responders (LR), based on their exploration of a novel environment. Past research has demonstrated that this model has predictive validity in that HR animals are more likely to become behaviorally sensitized to, and self-administer drugs of abuse than LR rats. In the first aim of this dissertation we ask what changes in gene expression within the mesolimbic circuitry may occur as a result of behavioral sensitization. In this study, adult Sprague-Dawley rats were injected daily with amphetamine (1mg/kg, i.p.) or saline for 9 days followed by a challenge injection seven days later. Our results showed that HR rats, but not LR rats, developed behavioral sensitization to the locomotor activating effects of amphetamine. Furthermore, only HR rats pretreated with amphetamine exhibited an increase in dopamine transporter mRNA in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra (SN). These results demonstrate the existence of individual differences in behavioral sensitization to amphetamine and suggest that the dopamine transporter may be a critical factor in the development and expression of behavioral sensitization to the locomotor activating effects of amphetamine. In the second aim of this dissertation, we sought to examine in the context of individual differences, if exposure to repeated psychosocial stress, social defeat in particular, would alter the locomotor stimulating effects of an acute injection (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mg/kg i.p.) of amphetamine. In an effort to understand what mechanisms underlie stress-induced sensitization to amphetamine, we examined long-term changes in striatal gene expression of the D1 and D2 receptors, as well as TH and DAT expression in the VTA and SN. Additionally, we examined if repeated social defeat stress led to an increase in corticosterone release in response to an acute injection of amphetamine. Finally, we investigated if repeated social defeat was associated with changes in dendritic spine density in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens of rats that exhibit stress-induced sensitization. Following repeated social defeat, LR rats and HR rats were behaviorally identical in response to acute injections of amphetamine. Furthermore, HR non-defeated rats had less D2 mRNA expression in the nucleus accumbens core and dorsal striatum than did LR non-defeated rats. However, after repeated social defeat, HR and LR rats had identical D2 mRNA expression in both the core and dorsal striatum. Additionally, we have shown that in comparison to non-defeated rats, there is an enhancement of corticosterone release in LR defeated but not HR defeated rats in response to an amphetamine injection. Finally, there were no changes in TH, D1 and DAT expression in any of the areas examined nor did social defeat stress induce a change in dendritic spine density in any of the brain areas examined in LR rats. One fascinating aspect of sensation seeking in humans is that despite similar hormonal responses during risk taking behaviors, these individuals report a lower level of anxiety in these situations when compared to non-sensation seekers. Interestingly, in rats, it has been demonstrated that some individuals will find the "stress" hormone, corticosterone, reinforcing. Specifically, it has been demonstrated that HR rats will self administer corticosterone at levels that mimic circulating plasma levels of corticosterone observed during mildly stressful events. Furthermore, in humans, chronic use of glucocorticoids has been reported to have euphoric effects in some individuals, but aversive effects in others. As such, in the final aim of this work, we asked if corticosterone itself has intrinsic rewarding properties. For these experiments we used a well established model of reward, termed conditioned place preference (CPP), in which a context is associated with the repeated pairing of a drug and subsequently tested to see if the chamber becomes preferred over the non-drug paired chamber. Here we report that corticosterone is not rewarding, nor is it aversive to rats. Furthermore, despite the reinforcing effects of corticosterone in HR rats, we observed no individual differences in the rewarding aspects of corticosterone.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0086
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Investigation on Bioreactor Operating Parameters for Optimum Microbial Hydrogen Production.
- Creator
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Diltz, Robert, Locke, Bruce R., Ma, Teng, Reeves, Robert, Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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As fuel costs continue to increase, novel methods to produce energy are becoming very important. Methods to generate hydrogen from organic material for utilization in fuel cells have been the source of much research over recent decades. One method to generate hydrogen is through microbial treatment of waste streams. The microbial treatment of wastes has great potential due to the mild conditions required to maintain biological systems, and other benefits such as removal of waste during the...
Show moreAs fuel costs continue to increase, novel methods to produce energy are becoming very important. Methods to generate hydrogen from organic material for utilization in fuel cells have been the source of much research over recent decades. One method to generate hydrogen is through microbial treatment of waste streams. The microbial treatment of wastes has great potential due to the mild conditions required to maintain biological systems, and other benefits such as removal of waste during the reaction process. The purpose of this research was to determine conditions in a bioreactor that would lead to the optimum rate of hydrogen production by manipulating process parameters. This was done by studying the affects of pH, temperature, organic loading rate, and hydraulic retention time in batch and continuous flow mixed bacterial culture reactors. The bacterial culture used in these experiments was able to generate the maximum amount of hydrogen from two different substrates in a reactor with a pH 5.2-5.7. The bacterial culture was able to convert substrates with the highest generation rate of hydrogen at 30 oC with a maximum of 0.25±0.01 mg H2/g COD h, while still being able to produce hydrogen at 40 oC with a maximum of 0.09±0.004 mg H2/g COD h. The optimum hydraulic retention time was found to be between 18 and 20 hours. Tests were conducted using loading rates between 55 and 450 mg COD/L and showed the maximum conversion of substrate occurred at 55 mg COD/L. These results indicate that hydrogen generation in a bacterial reactor will not be a sufficient method to generate power for further use, but could be feasible if used in conjunction with other sources of energy production.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0085
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- A Comparison of Confidence Levels of Postpartum Depressed and Non-Depressed First-Time Mothers.
- Creator
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Dilmore, Deborah L., Flannery, Jeanne, Workman, Donald R., College of Nursing, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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Ramona T. Mercer's theory of Maternal Role Attainment was the framework that guided this study conducted to compare the maternal confidence levels of the depressed and non-depressed first-time mother 4 months after delivery. A sample of 104 women completed the First-time Mother Questionnaire, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the Maternal Confidence Questionnaire (MCQ). Fifteen (14.4%) of the mothers were considered depressed with a score 12, or higher, on the EPDS. With...
Show moreRamona T. Mercer's theory of Maternal Role Attainment was the framework that guided this study conducted to compare the maternal confidence levels of the depressed and non-depressed first-time mother 4 months after delivery. A sample of 104 women completed the First-time Mother Questionnaire, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and the Maternal Confidence Questionnaire (MCQ). Fifteen (14.4%) of the mothers were considered depressed with a score 12, or higher, on the EPDS. With the exception of age and income, the demographics of the depressed and non-depressed mothers were very similar. Both groups of mothers were also found to have similar personal and family histories for depression, support systems, and perceptions of their support and of their infants. Correlation coefficients using Spearman's rho revealed a negative association between age and maternal confidence (r = -.174). Positive correlations were found between maternal confidence and support system size (r = .241), support satisfaction (r = .319), and perception of infant temperament (r = .405). Negative associations were found between postpartum depression and support system size (r = -.112), support satisfaction (r = -.308), and infant temperament (r = -.201). An independent samples t-test was performed to test the equality mean maternal confidence levels for the populations of depressed and non-depressed first-time mothers. The depressed mother was found to be less confident in her role (t = 2.455, p = .016, df = 102). Pearson's Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to provide the correlation coefficient for the variable of postpartum depression and maternal confidence(r = -.461; p = .001). Approximately 21% of the information needed to predict depression is being provided by confidence ( r = .461, r2 = .212).
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0084
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- "I Couldn't Help It!": Essays on Moral Responsibility and Alternative Possibilities.
- Creator
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Capes, Justin A., Mele, Alfred, Kelsay, John, Clarke, Randolph, McNaughton, David, Department of Philosophy, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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According to the Principle of Alternate Possibilities (PAP), a person is blameworthy for what he did only if he could have avoided doing it. This principle figures importantly in disputes about the relationship between determinism, divine foreknowledge, free will and moral responsibility, and has been the subject of considerable controversy for over forty years now. Proponents of the principle have devoted a good deal of energy and ingenuity to defending it against various objections....
Show moreAccording to the Principle of Alternate Possibilities (PAP), a person is blameworthy for what he did only if he could have avoided doing it. This principle figures importantly in disputes about the relationship between determinism, divine foreknowledge, free will and moral responsibility, and has been the subject of considerable controversy for over forty years now. Proponents of the principle have devoted a good deal of energy and ingenuity to defending it against various objections. Surprisingly, however, they have devoted comparatively little effort to developing positive arguments for it, and, with few exceptions, the arguments they have proposed have received little, if any, critical attention. My dissertation is intended to help fill this gap in the literature on PAP. There are three main arguments for PAP. I critically evaluate each of these arguments, arguing that they are all unsuccessful. Where, then, does that leave PAP? I suggest that, in the absence of any further compelling arguments for or against the principle, debate over it is likely to end in dialectical stalemate. I conclude by highlighting several implications of this suggestion for recent debates about the metaphysics of moral responsibility.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0083
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Dendritic Spines and Deacetylases.
- Creator
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Dietz, Karen C., Ouimet, Charles C., Wang, Zuoxin, Kabbaj, Mohamed, Trombley, Paul Q, III, Thomas C.S. Keller, Department of Biological Science, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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The work presented in this dissertation represents investigations into the mechanism of two neurological disorders. The first set of experiments was aimed at examining the morphology of post-synaptic structures called dendritic spines in a mouse model of Down's syndrome. The second set of experiments was aimed at examining the regional pattern and cellular distribution of possible therapeutic targets, histone deacetylases, in treating the symptoms of Huntington's disease. In the first set of...
Show moreThe work presented in this dissertation represents investigations into the mechanism of two neurological disorders. The first set of experiments was aimed at examining the morphology of post-synaptic structures called dendritic spines in a mouse model of Down's syndrome. The second set of experiments was aimed at examining the regional pattern and cellular distribution of possible therapeutic targets, histone deacetylases, in treating the symptoms of Huntington's disease. In the first set of experiments, we examined a mouse model of Down's syndrome, the Ts65Dn mouse, to determine if it mimics the dendritic spine abnormalities in area CA1 of hippocampus that have been documented in human individuals with the disorder. The Ts65Dn mouse represents a partial trisomy of the murine chromosome homologous to a large portion of human chromosome 21, which is present in 3 copies rather than 2 in Down's syndrome. These mice show behavioral abnormalities and learning deficits that are thought to replicate the mental retardation that is a prominent characteristic of Down's syndrome. As many of the behavioral and learning paradigms used to test these mice require hippocampal function, and neurons from hippocampal tissue taken from Down's syndrome individuals show a reduction in the density of dendritic spines, we sought to determine if Ts65Dn mice exhibit the same morphological abnormality. Dendritic spine densities on the apical branches of CA1 hippocampal neurons in Ts65Dn animals were not significantly different when compared to those from euploid (normal chromosome number) littermates. In addition, morphological analysis of dendritic spine shape demonstrated that the proportion of dendritic spines in each of the four major spine shape categories (stubby, thin, filopodia and mushroom) was not different between the two conditions. As the environment for cells in a cultured slice are most likely very different from those experienced in the intact animal, we examined if neurons in the intact brain exhibited signs of abnormal dendritic spine density in the Ts65Dn mouse. Analysis of dendritic spine densities on apical branches of CA1 hippocampal neurons from mice sacrificed at 2 weeks, 3 months or 6 months of age showed no significant differences between the euploid and trisomic conditions. Furthermore, Western blot analysis showed that Ts65Dn do not have reduced expression of a dendritic spine protein, drebrin, as has been reported in Down's syndrome. The second set of experiments that are described concern the immunohistochemical localization of two enzymes involved in the transcriptional regulation of genes. These enzymes, called histone deacetylases, or HDACs, aid in the regulation of histone acetylation levels as a mechanism to control access of transcription factors to gene sequences. Recently, it was found that compounds that inhibit enzymes that remove acetyl groups demonstrate therapeutic effects in animal models of Huntington's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that targets brain regions important for movement control. The work presented here describes the immunohistochemical localization of a HDAC2 and HDAC7. HDAC7 immunohistochemistry was consistent with biochemical studies demonstrating that HDAC7 can be present in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus. A finding of interest is that not all neurons of the murine brain express HDAC7, nor is it localized to the same subcellular compartment in all cell types. Granule cells of the hippocampal dentate gyrus and of the cerebellum showed very little immunoreactivity for HDAC7. Apical dendrites of the CA1 and CA3 regions of hippocampus showed very heavy cytoplasmic staining. Deeper cortical layers showed pyramidal neurons with heavier staining than superficial pyramidal layers in almost all cortical regions, except for the orbital, insular and piriform cortices which showed heavy staining in superficial layers as well. In general, staining of the olfactory system appeared more intense than other sensory system regions. Fibers along the striatonigral bundle, from the caudate to the substantia nigra reticulata showed heavy immunoreactivity. These data suggest that targeting therapeutics to HDAC7 activity may indeed be useful, as the striatonigral pathway is a key component of movement control. HDAC2 immunoreactivity confirmed that HDAC2 is strictly a nuclear localized protein. In addition, it appeared that HDAC2 is ubiquitously expressed throughout the murine brain in all brain regions. Interestingly, HDAC2 staining occurred only in neurons that showed NeuN staining, demonstrating that it is a neuron-specific protein. Therefore, therapeutic inhibition of HDACs that include inhibition of HDAC2 may affect many aspects of neurologic functioning in multiple brain regions. It is our hope that this work will provide some added detail and knowledge to the greater neuroscience community, and will aid in the greater understanding of the organization and function of the brain and ultimately aid in development of treatments for and ultimately the cure of neurological diseases and disorders.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0082
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- High-Fold Angular Correlation Studies and the Terminating 12+ State of 24Mg.
- Creator
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Diffenderfer, Eric S., Wiedenhover, Ingo, Steinbock, Oliver, Bonesteel, Nicholas E., Tabor, Samuel L., Volya, Alexander S., Department of Physics, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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A new angular correlation analysis technique for assigning spins to alpha-unbound states of nuclei that feed alpha-unbound states of other nuclei is described. A kinematically complete experiment was performed to study the reaction ¹²C(¹⁶O, alpha)²⁴Mg*, populating alpha-unbound states of ²⁴Mg that decay to alpha-unbound states of ²⁰Ne, where all final state particles were detected. The new analysis technique was used to unambiguously identify the first Ipi = 12+ state of ²⁴Mg at 26.3 MeV. The...
Show moreA new angular correlation analysis technique for assigning spins to alpha-unbound states of nuclei that feed alpha-unbound states of other nuclei is described. A kinematically complete experiment was performed to study the reaction ¹²C(¹⁶O, alpha)²⁴Mg*, populating alpha-unbound states of ²⁴Mg that decay to alpha-unbound states of ²⁰Ne, where all final state particles were detected. The new analysis technique was used to unambiguously identify the first Ipi = 12+ state of ²⁴Mg at 26.3 MeV. The new 12+ state is discussed in the context of the collective and shell models.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0081
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Automated Essay Scoring in an English as a Second Language Setting.
- Creator
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Dikli, Semire, Hasson, Deborah, Jeong, Allan, Kennell, Patrick, Wood, Susan, Department of Middle and Secondary Education, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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The main purpose of this study was to explore how two ESL students who are exposed to the AES feedback as opposed to two who are presented the written TF incorporated the type of feedback they received into their drafts. The participants consisted of adult ESL students who were attending at the Intensive English Center at a university in North Florida. A class of 12 students was divided into two groups. Approximately half of the students were exposed to computerized feedback (AES group) and...
Show moreThe main purpose of this study was to explore how two ESL students who are exposed to the AES feedback as opposed to two who are presented the written TF incorporated the type of feedback they received into their drafts. The participants consisted of adult ESL students who were attending at the Intensive English Center at a university in North Florida. A class of 12 students was divided into two groups. Approximately half of the students were exposed to computerized feedback (AES group) and the other half received written feedback from the teacher (TF group). However, the focus of this study was four case study students (two from each group). The data were collected through various sources: a) diagnostic essays, b) student essays on five writing prompts (both first and subsequent drafts), c) analytic and/or holistic feedback that were assigned to the essays either by the MY Access!® program or by the teacher, d) demographic, computer literacy, and opinion surveys, e) student and teacher interviews, and f) classroom observations. The results of the study revealed that the nature of the AES feedback and written feedback was different from each other. While the written TF was shorter and more focused, the AES feedback was quite long and generic. The MY Access!® program provided extensive amount of feedback points on all five traits. The document (essay) analysis results revealed that the program suggested twice as many usable feedback points as written feedback points provided by the teacher. However, the students who were exposed to the MY Access!® program used only the half of the usable feedback points suggested. The results also showed that both feedback pairs were quite similar within pairs, and they were substantially different across pairs in terms of the feedback points they were suggested on five traits. Furthermore, while the extent to which each pair used the type of feedback they received in their drafts was quite similar within pairs for most traits, it varied dramatically across pairs for all prompts with the exception of the mechanics and conventions feedback. This study is unique because there has been no research published regarding the use of an AES system in an ESL classroom setting at the time of this study was being conducted. It is the only study that focused on the feedback capacities of an AES program rather than its scoring ability.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0080
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Alma Mahler and Vienna: The City That Loved Her.
- Creator
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Dilkey, Angela, Fisher, Douglas, Bridger, Carolyn Ann, Gerber, Larry, Pope, Jerrold, College of Music, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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From the peak of the Habsburg dynasty, fin-de-siècle Vienna offered the Viennese bourgeoisie a unique place to broaden their intellectual and artistic creativity. Artists of such caliber as Gustav Mahler and Arnold Schoenberg flocked to this enticing city at the turn of the twentieth century. Alma Mahler was a strong woman and a product of her time. Other women wanted her in their circle of friends and men desired her. The list of her acquaintances, friends, and lovers includes some of the...
Show moreFrom the peak of the Habsburg dynasty, fin-de-siècle Vienna offered the Viennese bourgeoisie a unique place to broaden their intellectual and artistic creativity. Artists of such caliber as Gustav Mahler and Arnold Schoenberg flocked to this enticing city at the turn of the twentieth century. Alma Mahler was a strong woman and a product of her time. Other women wanted her in their circle of friends and men desired her. The list of her acquaintances, friends, and lovers includes some of the most brilliant artists of the twentieth century. Through her marriages to Gustav Mahler, Walter Gropius, and Franz Werfel, she influenced the creative output of three primary artistic figures in music, architecture, and literature. Her presence in the art world is documented in the work of Oskar Kokoschka. She used her influence throughout her life to further music, art, and literature. Although her biography reveals character flaws, such as egotism and anti-Semitism, Alma Mahler is illuminated as an important historical figure due to her consistently close proximity to genius.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0079
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Factors Impacting the Liquid Penetration Performance of Surgical Gown Fabric.
- Creator
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Cao, Wei, Cloud, Rinn M., Niu, Xufeng, Moore, Mary Ann, Haymes, Emily, Grise, Kay, Department of Retail Merchandising and Product Development, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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The barrier efficacy of protective surgical gowns has gained importance due to the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B and C viruses in the patient population. Most surgical gown fabrics are tested and categorized using standard laboratory conditions which are different from the conditions encountered in the surgical area. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Association of Operating...
Show moreThe barrier efficacy of protective surgical gowns has gained importance due to the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B and C viruses in the patient population. Most surgical gown fabrics are tested and categorized using standard laboratory conditions which are different from the conditions encountered in the surgical area. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN) have published regulations that indicate surgical apparel should protect wearers ''under normal conditions of use and for the duration of time [for] which it will be used'' (Federal Register 56, p. 64177). This research examined factors influencing the liquid penetration of surgical gown fabric during use. Two fabrics currently in common use for surgical gowns, a disposable material and a reusable material, were tested using AATCC 42 (the Impact Penetration Test) and AATCC 127 (Hydrostatic Pressure Test) called for in ASTM F2407 (Specification for Surgical Gowns Intended for Use in Healthcare Facilities). Variables in this study were ambient/fabric temperature, challenge liquid type, challenge liquid temperature, and wetness of fabrics. Results indicated that ambient/fabric temperature, challenge liquid type and challenge liquid temperature did impact the liquid penetration of fabric. Increasing ambient/fabric temperature led to increases in liquid penetration of fabrics. Type of challenge liquid significantly influenced liquid penetration of fabrics, with higher penetration when fabrics were challenged by synthetic blood. There were also significant increases in liquid penetration of fabrics after pre-wetting the inner or outer surface of the fabric. The overall conclusion drawn from this study was that protective clothing materials need to be evaluated under normal condition of use; standard testing procedure may give a false measure of the protective performance of products when conditions of use vary from conditions in the test method.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0078
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- If I Can't Feel Your Pain, Then I Inflict Pain on You: Emotional Insensitivity as a Mechanism Underlying Aggressive Responses to Rejection.
- Creator
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Dewall, C. Nathan, Baumeister, Roy F., Turner, R. Jay, Maner, Jon K., Tice, Dianne M., Joiner, Thomas, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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The current investigation sought to investigate whether emotional insensitivity (as opposed to emotional distress) mediates the relationship between social exclusion and aggressive behavior. Results from Experiments 1 and 2 showed that social exclusion caused decrements in emotional responsiveness, as indicated by reduced empathic concern toward another person's suffering. In both experiments, the reduction in emotional responsiveness mediated the link between social exclusion and aggressive...
Show moreThe current investigation sought to investigate whether emotional insensitivity (as opposed to emotional distress) mediates the relationship between social exclusion and aggressive behavior. Results from Experiments 1 and 2 showed that social exclusion caused decrements in emotional responsiveness, as indicated by reduced empathic concern toward another person's suffering. In both experiments, the reduction in emotional responsiveness mediated the link between social exclusion and aggressive behavior. Experiment 3 provided no evidence that the lack of emotional responsiveness toward one person following social exclusion had implications for aggression toward another person. These findings extend prior evidence that rejection causes the emotion system to cease functioning normally as a means of protecting the rejected person from a negative emotional experience. Being buffered from a negative emotional reaction can have negative consequences, however, in terms of weakening inhibitions that normally reduce aggression. Without a functioning emotion system, rejected participants were unable to feel empathic concern toward the victim of aggression and hence behaved aggressively.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0077
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- The Life History, Reproductive Ecology, and Demography of the Red Porgy, Pagrus Pagrus, in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico.
- Creator
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Devries, Douglas Alan, Travis, Joseph, Koenig, Christopher C., Meeter, Duane, Elam, John S., Grimes, Churchill B., Levitan, Don R., Department of Biological Science, Florida...
Show moreDevries, Douglas Alan, Travis, Joseph, Koenig, Christopher C., Meeter, Duane, Elam, John S., Grimes, Churchill B., Levitan, Don R., Department of Biological Science, Florida State University
Show less - Abstract/Description
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This study examined the reproductive ecology of the red porgy Pagrus pagrus (Sparidae) in the NE Gulf of Mexico and the temporal, bathymetric, and small scale spatial variability of its life history traits and demographics. Almost 4000 specimens were collected using standardized hook and line gear year-round, Mar 1998-Sep 2001, in the NE Gulf - most (n=2,586) at 9 sites off NW Florida in 30-68 m. Spawning grounds were widespread, spawning occurred primarily Dec – Feb, and 50% of females...
Show moreThis study examined the reproductive ecology of the red porgy Pagrus pagrus (Sparidae) in the NE Gulf of Mexico and the temporal, bathymetric, and small scale spatial variability of its life history traits and demographics. Almost 4000 specimens were collected using standardized hook and line gear year-round, Mar 1998-Sep 2001, in the NE Gulf - most (n=2,586) at 9 sites off NW Florida in 30-68 m. Spawning grounds were widespread, spawning occurred primarily Dec – Feb, and 50% of females matured at 211 mm and sites, and were 206 - 417 mm TL and ages 2 - 9 yr, strong evidence the process is socially controlled. Red porgy are permanently sexually dichromatic, pair spawners, and do not form large, predictable spawning aggregations. Neither protogyny nor their reproductive ecology appears to make them more sensitive than gonochorists to exploitation - they are probably less so in some cases. Traits such as widespread spawning grounds, no tendency to form spawning aggregations, absence of behaviorally-related size or sex selectivity, socially controlled sex change, co-occurrence of sexes year-round, and an extended period of transition, should stabilize or enable rapid compensation of sex ratios in red porgy (preventing sperm limitation or disruption of mating). Size and age composition, size at age, survival rates, transition rates, sizes and ages at transition, and sex ratios all differed significantly at a scale of only 10's of km. Environmental heterogeneity and site fidelity probably explain most of those differences, which likely reflect phenotypic, not genetic, effects. Habitat patches likely have variable hydrological, geological, biological, exploitation, and ecological characteristics. Once recruited to a patch, philopatric adults are exposed to a unique suite of factors which could affect growth, mortality, and reproduction. Such small spatial scale differences in many traits suggests a complex structure of local subpopulations; these resemble Crowder et al.'s (2000) sources and sinks or the broadly - defined metapopulation of Kritzer and Sale (2004). Pooled data from such a complex population structure could introduce excessive variability to parameter estimates and bias stock assessments.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0076
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Conversations with Ray Bradbury.
- Creator
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Aggelis, Steven Louis, Bickley, R. Bruce, Sandon, Leo, Lhamon, William T., McElrath, Joseph, Department of English, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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Conversations with Ray Bradbury, edited by Steven Aggelis and published by the University Press of Mississippi in Spring 2004, is a collection of Ray Bradbury interviews from 1948 to 2002, with the last of these interviews being conducted by the editor. Besides the interviews, the university Press of Mississippi collection contains an introduction, chronology, and index. This dissertation includes and supplements the published work. Although the interviews in the published collection appear...
Show moreConversations with Ray Bradbury, edited by Steven Aggelis and published by the University Press of Mississippi in Spring 2004, is a collection of Ray Bradbury interviews from 1948 to 2002, with the last of these interviews being conducted by the editor. Besides the interviews, the university Press of Mississippi collection contains an introduction, chronology, and index. This dissertation includes and supplements the published work. Although the interviews in the published collection appear in the hard-copy of the dissertation, along with other interviews not in the University Press of Mississippi collection, they are excluded from the electronic copy, due to copyright restrictions. However, the electronic version does contain the following additional dissertation material: the unabridged introduction; chronology; two Bradbury interviews by Steven Aggelis, including the published interview and one not previously released; an annotated bibliography of published interviews with Ray Bradbury that consists of interviews selected for the collection as well as entries and excerpts from others not chosen; and an exhaustive bibliography of Bradbury primary and secondary sources, i.e., works by and about the author and his writings. The interviews reveal Bradbury's recurring interest in science, an appeal to and reliance on emotion versus reason, censorship and tyranny, urban planning, comics and cartoons, death, education, Hollywood, love or passion as a creative force, magic, outer space, morality, myth, philosophy, politics, psychology, racial relations, technology, sex, the economy, the future, the horror genre, films, the media, the use of metaphor, war, writing and writers, religion, and more.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2003
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0001
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Understanding Decentralization Local Power over Decision-Making for Comprehensive Planning in Florida.
- Creator
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Ali, Amal Kamal, Doan, Petra L., Serow, William, Miles, Rebecca, RuBino, Richard, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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Decentralization strategies have been applied widely in both developed and developing countries. Previous research analyzes decentralization from above by dealing with two aggregated levels of government: the state and the local. Measures adopted by previous studies fail to reflect the various dimensions of decentralization. They do not show how decentralization is performed at the local level or whether local governments are empowered and able to make independent decisions without direct of...
Show moreDecentralization strategies have been applied widely in both developed and developing countries. Previous research analyzes decentralization from above by dealing with two aggregated levels of government: the state and the local. Measures adopted by previous studies fail to reflect the various dimensions of decentralization. They do not show how decentralization is performed at the local level or whether local governments are empowered and able to make independent decisions without direct of indirect intervention from the central government. In this research, I argue that local power over decision-making for comprehensive planning reflects governmental decentralization and captures its economic, political, and administrative dimensions. This research develops and tests a set of empirical measures of local agency power over decision-making for comprehensive planning. The measures analyze decentralization from below by investigating the extent of agency power over decision-making for comprehensive planning at the municipal level. It deals with local governments as disaggregated units, which enables us to compare and trace levels of power over decision-making across municipalities and over time. Major questions of the research are: what are empirical measures of local agency power over decision-making for comprehensive planning? and to what extent do proposed measures of local agency power succeed in reflecting levels of governmental decentralization? Florida was selected as the case study, because it has experienced xiii changes in its governmental decentralization levels since the adoption of its growth management system in the late 1960s. The unit of analysis is a governmental planning agency within municipalities having 10,000 or more inhabitants. A Delphi study was conducted to develop measures of each major dimension of local agency power over decision-making for comprehensive planning. Dimensions of power include agency legal authority, relative autonomy, control over local planning actions, and capacity to make planning decisions. Agency capacity consists of four sub-dimensions: technical, fiscal, institutional, and enforcement capacity. The proposed set of measures of local agency power over decision-making was tested empirically in Florida. Its applicability as an indicator of governmental decentralization was investigated by contrasting the model with measures of decentralization proposed by previous studies. The proposed empirical measures succeed in: 1) analyzing decentralization from below by dealing with local governments as disaggregated units, 2) demonstrating the variation in levels of power across Florida's municipalities, and 3) providing a comprehensive picture of decentralization by capturing its economic, political, and administrative dimensions. The research indicates that Florida's growth management system has shaped the structure of power over decision-making for comprehensive planning. The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has been given a dominant role in the process of local planning. Regional planning councils (RPCs) have no power over decision-making despite their responsibilities as technical assistants, facilitators, and negotiators. Local governments have been required to prepare local comprehensive plans/plan amendments consistent with state and regional plans. Sanctions are used to ensure local compliance xiv with state requirements and standards. Therefore, the growth management system of Florida has reduced the power of local governments over decision-making for comprehensive planning, which increases levels of centralization in Florida. This research fills partially a gap in the literature of international development planning by presenting a tool to analyze decentralization from below, which enables us to design better strategies to establish decentralization at the local level. The research also contributes to the field of growth management by providing empirical measures of local agency power over decision-making for comprehensive planning. These measures should be addressed in policy analysis of growth management in order to improve planning systems and practices.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2002
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0002
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Living on the Hyphen: The Literature of the Early Arab-Americans Between 1870-1940.
- Creator
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Al-Issa, Fadi Ahmad, Goodman, Robin, Shinn, Christopher, Vitkus, Daniel, Department of English, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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In this thesis, I focus on the early from 1870 to 1940. I confirm that they did try to preserve their ethnic identity through language by applying Benedict Anderson's theory "imagined communities." In the first chapter, I explain the first encounters between the American and the Arab cultures and the influences of the Protestant missionaries in the Arab countries. In the second chapter, I discuss the issue of Arab-American literature and how it reflected the experiences and turmoil of the...
Show moreIn this thesis, I focus on the early from 1870 to 1940. I confirm that they did try to preserve their ethnic identity through language by applying Benedict Anderson's theory "imagined communities." In the first chapter, I explain the first encounters between the American and the Arab cultures and the influences of the Protestant missionaries in the Arab countries. In the second chapter, I discuss the issue of Arab-American literature and how it reflected the experiences and turmoil of the early Arab immigrants. In the third chapter I apply Andersons' concept of "imagined communities" to the Arab-American ethnicity.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2003
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0003
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Initiation of Treatment for Alcohol Abuse: A Developmental Approach.
- Creator
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Allgood, Jane G., McNeece, C. Aaron, Miles, Rebecca, Harrison, Dianne F., College of Social Work, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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Alcohol abuse is often considered a young person's rite of passage and part of the maturing process. Indeed, the developmental periods when alcohol misuse and abuse are highest are those of adolescence and early adulthood. The focus for alcohol use research and funding over the years has been with adolescent prevention and intervention. Because of this focus on adolescents, little is being done to explore and to learn more about adult use and adult entry into treatment. Since the average age...
Show moreAlcohol abuse is often considered a young person's rite of passage and part of the maturing process. Indeed, the developmental periods when alcohol misuse and abuse are highest are those of adolescence and early adulthood. The focus for alcohol use research and funding over the years has been with adolescent prevention and intervention. Because of this focus on adolescents, little is being done to explore and to learn more about adult use and adult entry into treatment. Since the average age of the population is increasing, these attitudes toward alcohol use and treatment are no longer valid. Use, misuse, and abuse of alcohol in adulthood, especially that leading to addiction and then treatment, is a problem within the United States (US) that merits careful attention. The purpose of this dissertation research is to investigate specific aspects of entry into alcohol abuse treatment across stages of the life course. The investigation used the sequential life course theory of Levinson as the primary guiding theory and incorporated those aspects of Bronfenbrenner's social ecology theory used by Levinson. Specifically, with a population of approximately 94,000, this research examined the differences among individuals who began alcohol abuse treatment in mid-life and who experienced variations in time duration from the age of first use to the age of first treatment. Additionally, this research evaluated the timing of treatment episodes in light of the transitions within the life course as outlined by Levinson.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2003
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0004
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- The Effects of Coaches' Behaviors and Burnout on the Satisfaction and Burnout of Athletes.
- Creator
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Altahayneh, Ziad L., Kent, Aubrey, Tenenbaum, Gershon, Jackson, E. Newton, Quarterman, Jerome, Department of Sport Management, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between coaches' burnout, coaches' behaviors, and levels of burnout and satisfaction experienced by college athletes. The secondary purposes were to examine how coaches' levels of burnout were related to perceived coaching behavior, and to examine the link between athletes' levels of burnout and satisfaction. Forty two male and female coaches employed at the 8 public universities in Jordan, and 413 male and female college...
Show moreThe main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between coaches' burnout, coaches' behaviors, and levels of burnout and satisfaction experienced by college athletes. The secondary purposes were to examine how coaches' levels of burnout were related to perceived coaching behavior, and to examine the link between athletes' levels of burnout and satisfaction. Forty two male and female coaches employed at the 8 public universities in Jordan, and 413 male and female college athletes participated in this study. The participants completed translated version of the Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS; Chelladurai & Saleh, 1980), Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ; Raedeke & Smith, 2001), Athlete Satisfaction Questionnaire (ASQ; Riemer & Chelladurai, 1998), and Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey (Maslach, Jackson, & Leiter, 1996). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients, and stepwise regression. The results of this study suggest that there is a significant relationship between coaches' leadership behaviors and burnout. It was discovered that personal accomplishment and emotional exhaustion to be significant predictors of the coaches' leadership behaviors. Significant relationships were found between perceived coaching behaviors and athletes' outcomes. Athletes who perceived their coaches as providing more training and instruction, social support, feedback, and exhibiting more democratic behavior and less autocratic behavior were more satisfied and less burned out. In addition, significant negative relationships were found between athletes' satisfaction and athletes' burnout.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2003
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0005
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- The Managerial Decision Styles of Florida's State University Libraries' Managers.
- Creator
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Alqarni, Abdulrahman O., Bertot, John, Garretson, Peter, Hart, Thomas, Burke, Darrell, School of Library and Information Studies, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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Decision-making is one of the most important elements in the administration of any organization. University libraries are, of course, organizations. Inside these organizations the managers make a variety of decisions that will have a significant impact on the success of those libraries. Libraries' managers utilize different methods in processing their decisions. Many factors play roles in the success of libraries' managers. The manager's managerial decision style is one factor that...
Show moreDecision-making is one of the most important elements in the administration of any organization. University libraries are, of course, organizations. Inside these organizations the managers make a variety of decisions that will have a significant impact on the success of those libraries. Libraries' managers utilize different methods in processing their decisions. Many factors play roles in the success of libraries' managers. The manager's managerial decision style is one factor that contributes to the success of the manager and therefore to the success of their organization; and yet, there is a dearth of research about decision styles used in library administration and how they influence the decision-making process. The main purpose of this study was to explore the managerial decision styles of the managers (directors, associate directors, assistant directors, and the heads of departments) of Florida's state university libraries. A second purpose was to determine the relation between the variety of managers' decision styles and the following seven variables: gender, age, ethnicity, educational level, educational major, administrative experience, and current position. The results of this study will provide baseline information to improve our understanding of library managers and management. This study was grounded in the Decision Style Model developed by Alan Rowe and Richard O. Mason (1987). A survey questionnaire was employed in this study. The questionnaire included two parts: 1. "The Decision Style Inventory" (DSI) developed by Row and Mason (1987). This inventory was applied to measure the decision styles of the managers of Florida's state university main libraries. 2. The second part of the questionnaire consisted of questions designed to obtain descriptive data such as gender, age, ethnicity, educational level, educational major, current position, and administrative experience. According to the Decision Style Model, it was found that the predominant decision style for the majority of Florida's state university main libraries' managers was the behavioral decision style, followed by the conceptual decision style. The directive decision style was the style used least often by most of these managers. As for the decision style patterns, the findings inform us that the majority of Florida's state university main libraries' managers think using the right side of the brain rather than the left side. It was also found that there was no relationship was found between Florida's state university libraries' managers and their gender, age, or highest academic degree. On the other hand, the findings of this study indicated that years of administrative experience, ethnicity, position, and educational major of these managers were indeed related to the decision style or styles used by these managers. To date there has been no research conducted on profiling the decision styles of Florida's state university libraries' managers and the process of how they think in order to reach their decisions. Given this, the results of this study provided baseline information to improve our understanding of library managers and management in general and in particular, understanding of library managers and management in Florida's state university libraries.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2003
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0006
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- A Study Examining the Effectiveness of Two Instructional Treatments on Student Achievement, Motivation, and Cognitive Reasoning Processes in a Complex Concept Domain.
- Creator
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Amirault, Ray J., Wager, Walter W., Biance, Michael C., Herrington, Carolyn D., Keller, John M., Morgan, Robert M., Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems,...
Show moreAmirault, Ray J., Wager, Walter W., Biance, Michael C., Herrington, Carolyn D., Keller, John M., Morgan, Robert M., Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University
Show less - Abstract/Description
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The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a concept-focused and a procedures-focused instructional approach on adult learner concept acquisition in terms of performance, motivation, and concept usage in reasoning. The concepts in the study consisted of complex defined concepts from a highly technical domain. Eleven students in a graduate instructional design program were assigned via stratified groups to one of two instructional treatment groups, one concept-focused and...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a concept-focused and a procedures-focused instructional approach on adult learner concept acquisition in terms of performance, motivation, and concept usage in reasoning. The concepts in the study consisted of complex defined concepts from a highly technical domain. Eleven students in a graduate instructional design program were assigned via stratified groups to one of two instructional treatment groups, one concept-focused and one procedures-focused. Learners in the Concept-Focused Group received conceptual relational database design instruction early in the instructional sequence, prior to procedural instruction. Learners in the Procedures-Focused Group were presented the identical conceptual information, but embedded throughout an instructional sequence that emphasized procedural knowledge. Significant positive differences were found for far transfer performance and motivation levels in learners between the two groups. Verbal protocol analysis revealed no differences in time or trial and error strategies learners in the two groups took to solve a far transfer problem. These findings suggest that a concept-focused instructional strategy can positively impact student learning and motivation when learning complex defined concepts, and can assist learners in developing a more accurate mental model of these complex concepts. Suggestions for future research are presented.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2003
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0007
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Sylvester H. Scovel, Journalist, and the Spanish-American War.
- Creator
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Andreu, Darien Elizabeth, McElrath, Joseph R., Rehder, Ernest, Bickley, R. Bruce, Fenstermaker, John, Department of English, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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Sylvester Henry "Harry" Scovel (1869-1905) was one of the most celebrated journalists of the Spanish-American War. Almost every scholar who has written about the correspondents of this late nineteenth-century engagement has made use of Scovel's dispatches from the New York World, particularly his on-the-scene reports of the explosion of the Maine. For the first time, all of Scovel's "war" writing for the Joseph Pulitzer owned New York World are here made available in edited form: 132...
Show moreSylvester Henry "Harry" Scovel (1869-1905) was one of the most celebrated journalists of the Spanish-American War. Almost every scholar who has written about the correspondents of this late nineteenth-century engagement has made use of Scovel's dispatches from the New York World, particularly his on-the-scene reports of the explosion of the Maine. For the first time, all of Scovel's "war" writing for the Joseph Pulitzer owned New York World are here made available in edited form: 132 dispatches dating from the explosion of the Maine on February 15, 1898, to his letter of August 10, 1898, an explanation and apology for the events surrounding his confrontation with General Shafter at the flag-raising ceremony in Santiago. Following an introduction treating the correspondent's life and experiences during the war is a transcription of each article, which has been given a close proofreading and then edited to reflect the discernible intentions of the author within the conventions of contemporaneous usage. The arrangement is chronological, and an "Editorial Methodology" explains how and why these articles are edited as they appear.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2003
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0008
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Institutional Influences and Control of Software Development Projects: An Examination of Air Force Software Project Teams.
- Creator
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Ayres, Bradley Jay, George, Joey F., Zmud, Robert W., Anthony, William P., Paradice, David, Department of Management Information Systems, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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The purpose of this dissertation was to expand current knowledge about control of software development projects by examining the effects that institutional influences have on the use of control mechanisms by software project teams, and how the different institutional influences affect each other. The findings provide support for an important relationship between institutional profiles and the adoption of formal control mechanisms by software project teams. First, different institutional...
Show moreThe purpose of this dissertation was to expand current knowledge about control of software development projects by examining the effects that institutional influences have on the use of control mechanisms by software project teams, and how the different institutional influences affect each other. The findings provide support for an important relationship between institutional profiles and the adoption of formal control mechanisms by software project teams. First, different institutional profiles will support different types of adoption of formal control mechanisms. Second, when the enacted profile of a software project team is consistent with a dominant institutional profile, the use of formal control mechanisms will be faithful to this profile. Third, when the enacted profile is conflicted, the use of formal control mechanisms will be mixed with both ceremonial and faithful appropriations. Fourth, the higher the tenure of the software project team, the more likely the enacted profile will be consistent with the older institutional context. Finally, the level of congruence of software project managers with a particular institutional profile will be positively related to the adoption of formal control mechanisms consistent with that profile. The study also found that when institutional elements are complementary to each other in the form of an institutional profile, they have a much greater influence on social actors than when the elements are independent of each other.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2003
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0009
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Gender Wage Differential and the Under-Representation of Women in IT Education Programs & IT Workforce.
- Creator
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Aydin, Necati, Lunstrum, John P., MacDonald, Victoria M., Cobbe, James H., Hansen, John H., Harris, Douglas N., Department of Middle and Secondary Education, Florida State...
Show moreAydin, Necati, Lunstrum, John P., MacDonald, Victoria M., Cobbe, James H., Hansen, John H., Harris, Douglas N., Department of Middle and Secondary Education, Florida State University
Show less - Abstract/Description
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This study examines the determinants of earnings and gender wage differentials for Florida's IT graduates and IT workers by using the Mincerian regression model and the Blinder-Oaxaca wage decomposition model. Florida Education and Training Placement Information Program (FETPIP) data and Census Microdata (PUMS) are used in both models to shed some light on the increasing under-representation of women in the IT workforce. The study finds that there has been little or no gender wage difference...
Show moreThis study examines the determinants of earnings and gender wage differentials for Florida's IT graduates and IT workers by using the Mincerian regression model and the Blinder-Oaxaca wage decomposition model. Florida Education and Training Placement Information Program (FETPIP) data and Census Microdata (PUMS) are used in both models to shed some light on the increasing under-representation of women in the IT workforce. The study finds that there has been little or no gender wage difference for IT graduates from the Community Colleges (CC) and Post-Secondary Education (PSE) programs, while there has been an increasing gender wage difference for the Public University (SUS) IT graduates since 1993. The gender coefficients from the Mincerian regression models indicate that the rate for the SUS IT graduates increased from its low value of 2% to the high value of 12% in the year 2002. The gender wage differential rates for the SUS IT graduates measured from the Blinder-Oaxaca model are consistent with the Mincerian Regression results. The wage decomposition model reveals that the gender wage differentials for SUS IT graduates increased from 10% in the year 1996, to 18% in the year 2002. The model further indicates that 30% of this wage gap in the year 2002 was due to gender discrimination. The study finds that a proxy experience variable overestimates the impact of experience on earnings for female workers. The study presents a notable difference between the impact of the actual experience variable based on FETPIP data and that of a proxy variable based on the PUMS data.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2003
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0010
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Florida Preservice Teachers' Attitudes Toward African American Vernacular English.
- Creator
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Abdul-Hakim, Isma'Il, Department of Middle and Secondary Education, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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The study assessed the attitudes of preservice teachers in the state of Florida by using the African American Teacher Attitude Scale (AAETAS), a four point 46-item Likert Scale designed by Hoover et al (1997). This study also sought to determine which nine demographic variables were associated with the preservice teachers attitudes. The demographic variables were comprised of 1.) race, 2.) university attended, 3.) hometown size, 4.) gender, 5.) age, 6.) socio economic status, 7.) primary...
Show moreThe study assessed the attitudes of preservice teachers in the state of Florida by using the African American Teacher Attitude Scale (AAETAS), a four point 46-item Likert Scale designed by Hoover et al (1997). This study also sought to determine which nine demographic variables were associated with the preservice teachers attitudes. The demographic variables were comprised of 1.) race, 2.) university attended, 3.) hometown size, 4.) gender, 5.) age, 6.) socio economic status, 7.) primary language spoken at home/ in community, 8.) exposure to AAVE through high school course work, and 9.) exposure to AAVE through university course work. The Likert Scale (questionnaire) was comprised of statements that were made by educators during the 1970s. The questionnaire was graded and the researcher used the standard deviation and mean to set the ranges of under 110 (low), 110-153 (middle), and 154 or above (high). Furthermore, the researcher compared the ranges of the current study with the ranges (under 120/deficit, 120-159/difference and 160 or above) set by Hoover et al (1997). The researcher conducted a multiple regression analysis on the scores (dependent variable) and the demographic variables (independent variables). The subjects for this study were preservice teachers as well as education majors at two large universities in North Florida. The sample was a sample of convenience. A total of 153 preservice teachers completed the surveys. The results of the study indicate that language spoken at home and hometown population are closely associated with preservice teachers' attitudes. In addition, the results revealed that suburban bidialectical preservice teachers (i.e. those who speak both Standard English (SE) and AAVE as their primary languages at home) viewed AAVE more positively than preservice teachers from rural and urban areas who either speak SE, AAVE or both.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2002
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0011
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- The Fantasy of Victorian Cross-Dressing.
- Creator
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Abbott, Stacey G., Faulk, Barry, Fenstermaker, John, Hawkins, Hunt, Department of English, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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This thesis discusses the manner in which imperialism affected race, gender, and class in Victorian England. In Victorian literature, the different periods of imperialism are evident within the literature—early imperialism literature shows how the English were aware of imperialism, but also how it was considered to be an issue usually outside of England, and New imperialism literature shows how England became extremely involved in world affairs. The two stages also exhibit varying degrees of...
Show moreThis thesis discusses the manner in which imperialism affected race, gender, and class in Victorian England. In Victorian literature, the different periods of imperialism are evident within the literature—early imperialism literature shows how the English were aware of imperialism, but also how it was considered to be an issue usually outside of England, and New imperialism literature shows how England became extremely involved in world affairs. The two stages also exhibit varying degrees of imperialism and conquering both inside the country of England and outside. In order to cope with this issue, many people cross-dressed (dressed, thought, or behaved) in a manner that was not consistent with their own gender, class, or race. Using theory from Anne McClintock as a springboard, I link global imperialism to the internal need within England to control its own people. I trace this phenomenon through early imperialism works Gaskell's Mary Barton, Bronte's Jane Eyre, and Dickens's Great Expectations, and New imperialism works Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Conrad's Heart of Darkness, and several of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mysteries.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0012
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Factors Affecting the Performance Levels of Risk Management Behaviors of Florida High School Athletic Directors.
- Creator
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Aaron, Thomas C., Clement, Annie, Toole, Tonya, Jackson, E. Newton, Reynaud, B. Cecile, Department of Sport Management, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to measure the degree to which Florida High School athletic directors utilize risk management within their athletic program and (2) to determine whether selected demographic factors (i. e. undergraduate major, years of experience as Athletic Director, level of education, etc.) have an effect on the performance levels of these risk management behaviors. A 42-item survey was used to collect data related to specific risk management behaviors and 12...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to measure the degree to which Florida High School athletic directors utilize risk management within their athletic program and (2) to determine whether selected demographic factors (i. e. undergraduate major, years of experience as Athletic Director, level of education, etc.) have an effect on the performance levels of these risk management behaviors. A 42-item survey was used to collect data related to specific risk management behaviors and 12 demographic items. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each factor on the demographic section of the survey, the composite scores for each of the individual items on the survey, for all of the items combined (grand mean), and for the composite scores of each conceptual area (i.e. medical concerns, facilities, etc.). A one-way ANOVA was then used to test for significance among the independent variables (selected demographic factors) and dependent variables (risk management behavior scores of the (1) grand mean, (2) conceptual area means, and (3) individual item means). Results of the study suggest that (1) the risk management behaviors being performed within Florida High School athletic departments are being performed on a rather consistent basis and that (2) the two primary factors that influenced FHSAA athletic director's performance of risk management behaviors were current employment status and current coaching status.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0013
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Distance Learning Students' Perceptions of the Online Instructor Roles and Competencies.
- Creator
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Abdulla, Ahmad G., Hart, Thomas L., Garretson, Peter P., Bertot, John C., Kazmer, Michelle M., School of Library and Information Studies, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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One of the most important roles of the online instructor is to insure successful teaching by keeping students' interactions and discussions focused on topic, adding knowledge and expertise, and maintaining group harmony. Therefore, the success of online learning depends on the instructors' ability to acquire new competencies, rather than mastering the technology. Despite the growth in online instructor competency related studies, there is a lack of research regarding the instructors' roles...
Show moreOne of the most important roles of the online instructor is to insure successful teaching by keeping students' interactions and discussions focused on topic, adding knowledge and expertise, and maintaining group harmony. Therefore, the success of online learning depends on the instructors' ability to acquire new competencies, rather than mastering the technology. Despite the growth in online instructor competency related studies, there is a lack of research regarding the instructors' roles and competencies from the distance learning students' perspective. This study was an attempt to explore distance learning students' perceptions of the roles and competencies defined by experts in the field. A comprehensive list of roles, outputs, and competencies of online instructors were provided to the students in order to rate the importance of each role and competency. It was the purpose of this study to compare the findings of this study with the findings of pervious studies. The population of this study included all distance learning graduate students (n = 328) currently enrolled in the School of Information Studies at Florida State University. Forty-two percent (n = 140) of the original student population of 328, completed and submitted the online survey. Roles and competencies were ranked by their importance; ranking was also achieved by taking the average of competency means across roles and competencies. Results for the top ten competencies in overall importance, based on highest mean rating are: Content Knowledge, Facilitation (discussion) Skills, Organizational Skills, Planning Skills, English Proficiency, Presentation Skills, Interpersonal Communication Skills, Learning Styles and Theory, Teaching Strategies/models, Skills with Internet Tools for Instruction. The findings also determined that when compared to previous competency studies, there was a significant difference between students' perceptions and experts' perceptions regarding the most important online instructor competencies. Experts rated social competencies (interpersonal communication skills) number one in the list of top ten most important online instructor competencies; on the other hand, students rated intellectual competencies (content knowledge) number one in their list of top ten. However, both experts and students concurred regarding managerial competencies, because both rated at least four managerial skills in the list of top ten competencies. Distance learning students' responses indicated that instructors should give careful attention to the development and improvement of their intellectual, social, managerial, and technical roles and competencies. The importance of paying attention to the technical and managerial roles, in addition to intellectual and social competencies of the online instructor, were emphasized as critical factors for the success of discussion and interaction in the online environment. This dissertation has helped bridge the gap between the perceptions of distance education experts and distance learning students by providing a comprehensive list of important online instructors' roles and competencies. Due to the rate of change in technologies used to deliver instruction and related changes in higher education, it is recommended to do another study to identify more roles and competencies. This study should be expanded to include the perceptions of students in different disciplines and other countries.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0014
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Power Plays: A Longitudinal Examination of Ceo/Bod Power Circulation and Its Impact on Organizational Performance.
- Creator
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Adams, Garry L., Lamont, Bruce T., Kacmar, Charles J., Ferris, Gerald R., Jr., David J. Ketchen, Department of Management, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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This dissertation focuses on CEO and BOD power relationships, examining individual and organizational antecedent and outcome factors impacted by CEO and BOD powers. Four primary research questions are explored, specifically 1) What is the temporal structure of power relationships, and how should these relationships be modeled in empirical study? 2) What is the nature of the dyadic relationship between CEO and BOD power?, 3) Is there a reciprocal relationship between CEO and BOD powers and...
Show moreThis dissertation focuses on CEO and BOD power relationships, examining individual and organizational antecedent and outcome factors impacted by CEO and BOD powers. Four primary research questions are explored, specifically 1) What is the temporal structure of power relationships, and how should these relationships be modeled in empirical study? 2) What is the nature of the dyadic relationship between CEO and BOD power?, 3) Is there a reciprocal relationship between CEO and BOD powers and firm performance?, and 4) What are the primary antecedents of CEO and BOD powers, and how do these antecedents influence CEO and BOD power development? A longitudinal study design is employed to inspect the determinants and consequences of organizational power circulation over time, and polynomial lag regression techniques are employed to explore different relationships within the study model. The primary goal of this study is to develop a greater understanding of the nature of CEO and BOD power relationships, and to examine their impact on firm performance. A variety of corporate governance theories, including agency, managerial hegemony, resource dependency, and power circulation theories, are utilized to build a contingent model of power and governance. This merging of governance theories offers greater insight into the nature of CEO – BOD power relationships, as well as drivers of power shifts within the firm over time. The study findings support reciprocity in the relationship between CEO power and firm performance, validating the Daily and Johnson (1997) study results and managerial hegemony theoretical perspectives of governance relationships. The study results did not support a reciprocal relationship between BOD power and performance, with significant findings for the BOD power – performance linkage but insignificant results for the performance – BOD power linkage. In addition, post hoc analysis supports the hypothesized relationship of Strategic Choice mediating the CEO Power – Organizational Performance linkage. The study findings also offer some support for temporal modeling of power antecedent and outcome relationships. Study conclusions, limitations, and directions for future research are also offered for consideration.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0015
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Development of a Solid Hydrogen Particle Generator for Feasibility Testing of a Solid Hydrogen Optical Mass Gauging System Prototype.
- Creator
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Adams, Thomas Edgar, Sciver, Steven W. Van, Luongo, Cesar A., Kalu, Peter N., Department of Mechanical Engineering, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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In recent years, NASA has become interested in densified fuels such as solid hydrogen. A change from liquid to solid-state fuel storage would result in an approximately 15% smaller onboard fuel tank, and thus a lower gross vehicle lift off weight. A lower lift off weight would allow for heavier payloads, more crewmembers, or longer space flight missions. The ability to store and use solid-state fuels would also lend to the possibility of more powerful atomic based propellants, such as boron...
Show moreIn recent years, NASA has become interested in densified fuels such as solid hydrogen. A change from liquid to solid-state fuel storage would result in an approximately 15% smaller onboard fuel tank, and thus a lower gross vehicle lift off weight. A lower lift off weight would allow for heavier payloads, more crewmembers, or longer space flight missions. The ability to store and use solid-state fuels would also lend to the possibility of more powerful atomic based propellants, such as boron or carbon, in the future. However, currently used techniques for liquid based mass gauging, required for quantifying the remaining mass in onboard fuel tanks, are not applicable to solid mass gauging. A new mass gauging technique is required to implement the use of solid-state fuel. It is required that this new mass gauging technique be capable of continuous measurement despite variations in fuel distribution, changes in gravitational forces, and other effects associated with mass in motion experienced during space flight. Furthermore, this technique and its related equipment must be minimally invasive to the fuel system, both mechanically and thermally. Advanced Technologies Group (ATG), has recently developed an optical mass gauging system with promising results in ground based tests on liquid hydrogen. The optical mass gauging system developed by ATG is coupled to a fuel tank via fiber-optic cables and utilizes the unique absorption spectra of molecular hydrogen, a tunable laser light source, a pseudo-integration optical sphere, and a spectrometer to gauge mass. A nearly monochromatic light, including an absorption wavelength for molecular hydrogen at a given intensity, is reflected uniformly within the pseudo integration sphere containing hydrogen. The intensity of the absorption wavelength is attenuated by hydrogen mass absorption, and the remainder is uniformly reflected about the internal surface of the pseudo-integration sphere. A ratiometric calculation is then used to approximate the attenuation due to mass, and ultimately the mass present, based on intensity measurements taken for an absorption wavelength and a non-absorption wavelength from the spheres internal surface. This system is minimally invasive and can be used to gauge quantities of solid mass by adjusting the emitted spectra to overlap the primary absorption wavelength of solid hydrogen at approximately 797.4 [nm]. In the present work, a solid hydrogen particle generator was designed and fabricated to test the response of the solid hydrogen optical mass gauging system (SHOMGS) prototype developed by ATG. The solid hydrogen particle generator consists of several components. Pre-cooled hydrogen gas (~80 K) was introduced from a cold trap into an encapsulated temperature controlled reservoir that was partially submerged in a bath of liquid helium at 4.2 K. This reservoir utilized the latent heat of the liquid helium bath as well as the heat capacity of the helium vapor to condense the hydrogen gas into liquid at approximately 19 K. Following condensation of a desired quantity of liquid hydrogen, the ullage in the reservoir was pressurized with helium gas to create a favorable pressure gradient for injection. A valve at the base of the reservoir was then opened to inject a fine spray of liquid hydrogen through an injection nozzle into a SHOMGS equipped pseudo-integration sphere containing a bath of liquid helium at approximately 4.2 K. The liquid helium bath of the sphere is used to solidify the droplets of liquid hydrogen into solid particles. A coaxial capacitor liquid level sensor was used in the liquid hydrogen reservoir to quantify the amount of mass injected from the particle generation system during each injection. Seven experiments were conducted. In each experiment, 10 to 20 mass injections were made to determine the response of the SHOMGS and the reproducibility of the results from the particle generation system. Raw data was recorded of the liquid hydrogen conditions before and after each injection, as well as associated changes in capacitance. These values were then used to calculate the injected mass. In addition, raw data was recorded from the SHOMGS regarding changes in reflected light intensity corresponding to each injection. Ratiometric analysis was performed on the light intensity data and this response was plotted against the quantities of mass injected to correlate the SHOMGS response. Following this battery of tests, several conclusions were determined. The solid hydrogen particle generator is capable of repeatable results and can provide known quantities of solid hydrogen with a calculated mass error of 10-20% dependant largely on the amount injected. The SHOMGS developed by ATG exhibits responses correlated to changes in mass injected. Following further development, this prototype could be modified for use on future space flight platforms.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0016
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Improving Monte Carlo Linear Solvers Through Better Iterative Processes.
- Creator
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Aggarwal, Vikram, Srinivasan, Ashok, Mascagni, Michael, Engelen, Robert van, Department of Computer Science, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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Monte Carlo (MC) linear solvers are fundamentally based on the ability to estimate a matrix-vector product, using a random sampling process. They use the fact that deterministic stationary iterative processes to solve linear systems can be written as sums of a series of matrix-vector products. Replacing the deterministic matrix-vector products with MC estimates yields a MC linear solver. While MC linear solvers have a long history, they did not gain widespread acceptance in the numerical...
Show moreMonte Carlo (MC) linear solvers are fundamentally based on the ability to estimate a matrix-vector product, using a random sampling process. They use the fact that deterministic stationary iterative processes to solve linear systems can be written as sums of a series of matrix-vector products. Replacing the deterministic matrix-vector products with MC estimates yields a MC linear solver. While MC linear solvers have a long history, they did not gain widespread acceptance in the numerical linear algebra community, for the following reasons: (i) their slow convergence, and (ii) the limited class of problems for which they converged. Slow convergence is caused by both, the MC process for estimating the matrix-vector product, and the stationary process underlying the MC technique, while the latter is caused primarily by the stationary iterative process. The MC linear algebra community made significant advances in reducing the errors from slow convergence through better techniques for estimating the matrix-vector product, and also through a variety of variance reduction techniques. However, use of MC linear algebra is still limited, since the techniques use only stationary iterative processes resulting from a diagonal splitting (for example, Jacobi), which have poor convergence properties. The reason for using such splittings is because it is believed that efficient MC implementations of more sophisticated splittings is not feasible. Consequently, little effort has been placed by the MC community on addressing this important issue. In this thesis, we address the issue of improving the iterative process underlying the MC linear solvers. In particular, we demonstrate that the reasons for considering only diagonal splitting is not valid, and show a specific non-diagonal splitting for which an efficient MC implementation is feasible, even though it superficially suffers from the drawbacks for which non-diagonal splittings were not considered by the MC linear algebra community. We also show that conventional techniques to improve deterministic iterative processes, such as the Chebyshev method, show promise in improving MC techniques too. Despite such improvements, we do not expect MC techniques to be competitive with modern deterministic techniques to accurately solve linear systems. However, MC techniques have the advantage that they can obtain approximate solutions fast. For example, an estimate of the solution can be obtained in constant time, independent of the size of the matrix, if we permit a small amount of preprocessing. There are other advantages too, such as the ability to estimate specific components of a solution, and latency and fault tolerance in parallel and distributed environments. There are a variety of applications where fast, approximate, solutions are useful, such as preconditioning, graph partitioning, and information retrieval. Thus MC linear algebra techniques are of relevance to important classes of applications. We demonstrate this by showing its benefits in an application to dynamic load balancing of parallel computations.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0017
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Evaluation and Enhancement of Electro-Kinetic Technology for Remediation of Chromium Copper Arsenic from Clayey Soil.
- Creator
-
Ahmad, Hafiz, Leszczynska, Danuta, Tull, James F., Dzurik, Andrew, Chan-Hilton, Amy, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
-
A relatively new technique of electro-kinetic remediation is examined to evaluate and enhance removal of residual of the CCA (chromated copper arsenate) from clayey soil. A short duration (25-hours) treatment approach was initiated for this purpose. Laboratory 1-D column tests were performed on kaolin soil under the influence of DC electric field. Different chemicals (acid, alkali and oxidizing agents) and tap water were purged through electro-osmotic flow to enhance chromium, copper, arsenic...
Show moreA relatively new technique of electro-kinetic remediation is examined to evaluate and enhance removal of residual of the CCA (chromated copper arsenate) from clayey soil. A short duration (25-hours) treatment approach was initiated for this purpose. Laboratory 1-D column tests were performed on kaolin soil under the influence of DC electric field. Different chemicals (acid, alkali and oxidizing agents) and tap water were purged through electro-osmotic flow to enhance chromium, copper, arsenic remediation. Configuration of electrodes/reactor setup was also adjusted to improve the removal efficiency of the CCA chemicals by inducing buoyancy with electro-osmotic flow. Interesting results were obtained showing up to 78% of arsenic and 72% copper removal by purging sodium hypo-chlorite (NaOCl). Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) purging also indicated enhanced removal with 74% arsenic and 72% copper removal. It was difficult to remove chromium and maximum removal was only 3.75% when the soil was purged with tap water. The batch experiments show that with respect to individual contaminant remediation, the removal efficiency increases many times when contaminants in the soil are in mixed-form. Inclined reactor setup showed enhanced electro-osmotic flow due to the effect of buoyancy. A model combining main phenomena of contaminant movement: electro-migration, electro-osmosis, diffusion, and buoyancy was developed for a small Debye length. The model predicts the behavior of pH, which is an important parameter that governs the migration of contaminants. Calculation based on the model showed excellent agreement when compared with the pH profile of experimental data of tap water purging for copper remediation. Although additional modeling and experimentation is needed, the results of this thesis demonstrate that electro-kinetic remediation with suitable purging chemicals may offer enhanced removal of polluted soil.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0018
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Antigenicity of the Low Molecular Weight Proteins in Selected Tree Nuts, Oilseeds, Legumes and Cereals.
- Creator
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Ahrens, Susan Ellen, Sathe, Shridhar K., Roux, Kenneth H., Mistry, Anahita, Department of Nutrition, Food, and Exercise Science, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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The antigenic properties of the low molecular weight (LMW) proteins, polypeptides and peptides of several plant foods were evaluated. Trichloroacetic acid (0.6 M) was used to isolate the non-proteins nitrogen fraction of selected tree nuts, oilseeds, legumes and cereals. The antigenicity and cross-reactivity for LMW proteins, polypeptides and peptides were evaluated with polyclonal antibodies raised against almond, almond major protein (AMP), cashew major protein (CMP), peanut, pecan,...
Show moreThe antigenic properties of the low molecular weight (LMW) proteins, polypeptides and peptides of several plant foods were evaluated. Trichloroacetic acid (0.6 M) was used to isolate the non-proteins nitrogen fraction of selected tree nuts, oilseeds, legumes and cereals. The antigenicity and cross-reactivity for LMW proteins, polypeptides and peptides were evaluated with polyclonal antibodies raised against almond, almond major protein (AMP), cashew major protein (CMP), peanut, pecan, pistachio and walnut glutelin and monoclonal antibodies raised against AMP (mAb 4C10 and 4F10) and cashew (Ana o 1-4B7 and Ana o 2-4H9). Three immunological assays were utilized to determine antigenicity and cross-reactivity, including Dot blotting, Western blotting and ELISA. The ELISA utilized in this study used rabbit anti almond as the primary antibody, and the almond standard curve had an IC50 value of 0.4837 ± 0.028 mg/ml. Significant antigenicity and cross-reactivity in the NPN fraction was found with Dot blot, Western blot and ELISA assays. Antigenic peptides with a molecular weight range of 7.69-31.02 kDa were identified. TCA extracted tree nut and oilseed samples were typically more cross reactive than legumes and cereals. Typically, cereals were not determined to be cross-reactive in more than one assay. Polyclonal antibodies that were raised against whole proteins recognized more antigenic LMW species than polyclonal antibodies that were more specific. Also, monoclonal antibodies did not recognize any cross-reactive species in the NPN fraction. This study serves as a preliminary tool for LMW antigen identification and can guide the direction of future research in this area. Establishing clinical relevance in humans will be important before these LMW antigens can be considered allergens. If identified antigens are determined to be allergens, research focused on reducing their allergenicity can be approached.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0019
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Commercialism, Accessibility, Popularity, and Originality in American High-Art Music: Richard Danielpour, a Case Study.
- Creator
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Akers, Ruth Ruggels, Glahn, Denise Von, Jumonville, Neil, Brewer, Charles, Bridger, Carolyn Ann, College of Music, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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This dissertation considers the life and music of Richard Danielpour (b. 1956) and how they intersect with the issues of commercialism, accessibility, popularity, and originality in twentieth- and twenty-first century American art music. It also explores Danielpour's motivations for composing and the position of his music in American culture within the context of the changes that have occurred–particularly in the last twenty to thirty years–in the criteria for assessing musical value and...
Show moreThis dissertation considers the life and music of Richard Danielpour (b. 1956) and how they intersect with the issues of commercialism, accessibility, popularity, and originality in twentieth- and twenty-first century American art music. It also explores Danielpour's motivations for composing and the position of his music in American culture within the context of the changes that have occurred–particularly in the last twenty to thirty years–in the criteria for assessing musical value and meaning in American high art. Much of the music being written and performed well into the third quarter of the twentieth century was completely unintelligible to a majority of concert goers, and a huge gap had developed between classical composers and their public. Richard Danielpour is one of many composers in the late twentieth- and early twenty-first centuries who have sought to bridge that gap, in part by aligning themselves with the tradition of writing music that is emotionally evocative and musically valid. Danielpour's concern for reaching his audience underscores his sincere desire to be appreciated artistically and understood intellectually. Danielpour writes in an accessible, neo-romantic style that embraces tonality despite frequent dissonances. Some critics suggest that he borrows too much from others, but his music possesses many distinctive qualities. In addition, Danielpour's detailed programs help listeners relate to music that they might not otherwise understand. Of the ten recordings of his music, the Pittsburgh Symphony's CD of his Concerto for Orchestra was nominated for a Grammy in the category of "classical contemporary composition." Yo-Yo Ma's recording that included Danielpour's first cello concerto won three Grammies. Frequent commissions from major orchestras and well-known soloists indicate the degree of popularity that Danielpour has achieved in the classical musical world. Although this may not equal the commercial success of pop composers, Danielpour can still be considered financially successful: in an age when many contemporary composers struggle to be heard at all, Danielpour's compositions receive multiple performances here and abroad.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0020
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Like a Tree on Its Side.
- Creator
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Kantrowitz, Dana, Stuckey-French, Ned, Gardner, Joann, Department of English, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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This thesis is a collection of lyric poetry and personal essays. The two genres are spliced together in a design intended to use their visual differences and contextual similarities to more fully understand the people, places, and events examined here. The material is based on the author's personal experiences, but is reflected upon and shared in this form in hopes of highlighting the universality of human emotions. Thematically, it delves into the complexities of personal relationships...
Show moreThis thesis is a collection of lyric poetry and personal essays. The two genres are spliced together in a design intended to use their visual differences and contextual similarities to more fully understand the people, places, and events examined here. The material is based on the author's personal experiences, but is reflected upon and shared in this form in hopes of highlighting the universality of human emotions. Thematically, it delves into the complexities of personal relationships—family dynamics, romantic interests, and one's knowledge of herself—and explores how they change over time.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0022
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- A Scale Development for Sport Fan Motivation.
- Creator
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Al-Thibiti, Yousof, Jackson, E. Newton, Kamata, Akihito, Quarterman, Jerome, Ragheb, Mounir, Department of Sport Management, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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The primary purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to assess sport fan motivation. Also, the new measure was employed to examine the relationship between sport fan motivation and ethnic identity. One hundred sixty nine college students from two southeastern institutions participated in this study. Data were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, Bivariate correlation, t test, ANOVA, and descriptive statistics. The Fan Motivation Scale (FMS),...
Show moreThe primary purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to assess sport fan motivation. Also, the new measure was employed to examine the relationship between sport fan motivation and ethnic identity. One hundred sixty nine college students from two southeastern institutions participated in this study. Data were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, Bivariate correlation, t test, ANOVA, and descriptive statistics. The Fan Motivation Scale (FMS), developed in this study, consisted of six components with 22 items. The number of items under every component range from 5 to 2 items (quality of the game 4 items, escape 5 items, boredom avoidance 5 items, social 3 items, entertainment 3 items, and sport atmosphere 2 items). In addition, two hypotheses were tested in the current study. The first hypothesis was that ethnic identity is positively related to sport fan motivation. The second hypothesis assumed that there was a difference between African Americans and European Americans in their ethnic identity. The results revealed the FMS is a reliable measure with an overall alpha score of 0.90. Significant differences were found between participants in the total FMS and some of the subscales based on gender and ethnicity. However, the outcomes of the samples examined in this study do not support the first hypothesis. Therefore, no significant relationship was found between sport fan motivation and ethnic identity. Regarding the second hypothesis, a significant difference was found between African Americans and European Americans in their ethnic identity.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0023
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Graduate Students' Information Needs from Electronic Information Resources in Saudi Arabia.
- Creator
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Al-Saleh, Yasir Nasser, Burnett, Kathleen, Garretson, Peter, Hart, Thomas, Burke, Darrell, School of Library and Information Studies, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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This study was driven by the growing importance of electronic information resources in university scholarly inquiry. The main focus of the research was to discover graduate students' information needs, the level of these needs, and the extent to which they were being met in relation to accessing and utilizing electronic information in an academic environment. The study's conceptual framework was grounded in Dervin's sense-making theory. It used Kari's modification of sense-making to clarify...
Show moreThis study was driven by the growing importance of electronic information resources in university scholarly inquiry. The main focus of the research was to discover graduate students' information needs, the level of these needs, and the extent to which they were being met in relation to accessing and utilizing electronic information in an academic environment. The study's conceptual framework was grounded in Dervin's sense-making theory. It used Kari's modification of sense-making to clarify the research questions and guide the survey questionnaire to examine Saudi graduate students' information actions (needs, seeking, and use) in the context of academic electronic information resources in Saudi Arabian universities. The study examined graduate students in three Saudi universities: Umm Al-Qura University, King Saud University, and King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals. Because the researcher wanted to examine a large sample of Saudi university graduate students' information needs, a quantitative survey was most practical and cost-effective. The variables of the study were gender, age, academic degree, major, English language proficiency, Internet experience, and university. The sample of the study was 502 graduate students (10% of all Saudi Arabian graduate students) in the three universities. There were 480 usable responses which were coded and analyzed using SPSS software. The study used both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings indicated that only half of graduate students used the library's electronic resources for their academic information needs. Chi-square test found a significant relationship between graduate students' use or lack of use of their library's electronic resources and the students' situational variables. Of those students who used the library's electronic resources, only about half needed these for written class assignments (61.1%), their thesis or dissertation (59.8%), and/or personal use (47.1%). Only 18.4% needed electronic information for oral class presentations and 8.6% for other purposes. For information strategies, the library's electronic resources were never ranked as the first strategy of the six that were available. Kendall's tau-b test indicated a significant relationship between graduate students' strategies and their English proficiency. Of those graduate students who used the library's electronic resources, most said they always accessed the Online Catalog (59.0%) and the Internet (60.2%), but only sometimes used electronic journals (52.9%), databases (50.4%), and other links on the library website (45.1%). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) test revealed significant differences between students' English language proficiency and the frequency of their use of these resources. Most students tended to agree that they were able to make sense of the information they got from the library's electronic resources. However, they could not tell if they achieved information success or information overall satisfaction. ANOVA showed significant differences between students' major and their judgment on the usefulness of the retrieved information. The main barrier to student information actions was insufficient instructions for using or searching the library's electronic resources followed by not enough librarians to help. Other barriers were insufficient availability of computers or computer labs and libraries did not improve graduate students information technology skills. Difficulty accessing the Internet and the library's electronic resources, clarity and ease of use of these resources, and relationship to their field were additional barriers to electronic information. Overall, the study showed that, for a variety of reasons, the considerable electronic information resources of Saudi university libraries are under-utilized because they are not meeting graduate student needs. The most striking finding for this study was that most of the graduate students were deterred from using electronic resources, apparently due to experienced or perceived barriers. Graduate students who accessed these resources often found them not useful for their needs, further discouraging use. Instead, many graduate students' information seeking situations were very diverse, yet the usefulness of library electronic information was questionable.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0024
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- New Strategies for Proteomics and Peptidomics Using Polymer Liquid Crystals for Electrophoresis.
- Creator
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Al-Sayah, Mohammad Ahmed, Rill, Randolph L., Winkle, David H. Van, Dorsey, John G., Schlenoff, Joseph B., Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
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Different gel matrices were explored to extend the use of two dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis for peptide analysis. Excellent separations of peptides labeled with the fluorescent dye Cascade Yellow were achieved in one dimension on two gel media: traditional polyacrylamide and reversible liquid crystalline gels of Pluronic F127. Separations on both media depended primarily on size to charge ratio, excepting a few peptides strongly retained by Pluronic F127. A unique 2D gel...
Show moreDifferent gel matrices were explored to extend the use of two dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis for peptide analysis. Excellent separations of peptides labeled with the fluorescent dye Cascade Yellow were achieved in one dimension on two gel media: traditional polyacrylamide and reversible liquid crystalline gels of Pluronic F127. Separations on both media depended primarily on size to charge ratio, excepting a few peptides strongly retained by Pluronic F127. A unique 2D gel electrophoresis system for peptide separation coupled with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for identification was developed. Cascade Yellow succinimidyl ester, an amine-reactive dye, labels the amino-terminus of peptides and the å-amino group of lysines at pH 7-9. Occasional labeling of tyrosine residues was also observed. Specific amino-terminal labeling was achieved at alkaline pH (pH >10) due to the base-lability of the å-amino and the tyrosine adducts. The 2D system utilized 15% polyacrylamide with the basic (pH 8.3) Laemmli buffer system (without SDS) in the first dimension. Pluronic F127 (24%) was used in the second dimension with acidic Tris-ClCH2COOH buffer (pH 3.0). The second dimension in Pluronic F127 was done horizontally with a thin overlayer of buffer to provide direct access to the separated peptides. Due to its semi-fluid nature, Pluronic F127 provided a good interface between the two dimensions so that the peptides migrated smoothly from the first dimension to the second. The peak capacity of the 2D mini-gel system (8x10 cm) was approximately 500. Larger gels are expected to yield a peak capacity of about 2000, competitive with many 2D HPLC methods. MALDI-TOF MS was used to identify peptides in spots directly sipped from gels. Peptide samples with concentrations > 0.5 ìg/ml were directly spotted on MALDI targets and identified without further purification. Small polymer chains contaminating Pluronic F127 started to interfere with the detection of peptides at concentrations 10) due to the base-lability of the å-amino and the tyrosine adducts. The 2D system utilized 15% polyacrylamide with the basic (pH 8.3) Laemmli buffer system (without SDS) in the first dimension. Pluronic F127 (24%) was used in the second dimension with acidic Tris-ClCH2COOH buffer (pH 3.0). The second dimension in Pluronic F127 was done horizontally with a thin overlayer of buffer to provide direct access to the separated peptides. Due to its semi-fluid nature, Pluronic F127 provided a good interface between the two dimensions so that the peptides migrated smoothly from the first dimension to the second. The peak capacity of the 2D mini-gel system (8x10 cm) was approximately 500. Larger gels are expected to yield a peak capacity of about 2000, competitive with many 2D HPLC methods. MALDI-TOF MS was used to identify peptides in spots directly sipped from gels. Peptide samples with concentrations > 0.5 ìg/ml were directly spotted on MALDI targets and identified without further purification. Small polymer chains contaminating Pluronic F127 started to interfere with the detection of peptides at concentrations 0.5 ìg/ml were directly spotted on MALDI targets and identified without further purification. Small polymer chains contaminating Pluronic F127 started to interfere with the detection of peptides at concentrations
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0025
- Format
- Thesis
- Title
- Phylogeography of the Sigmodontine Rodent, Phyllotis Xanthopygus, and a Test of the Sensitivity of Nested Clade Analysis to Elevation-Based Alternative Distances.
- Creator
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Albright, James Christopher, Steppan, Scott, Levitan, Don, Swofford, David, Department of Biological Science, Florida State University
- Abstract/Description
-
I undertook a phylogenetic and phylogeographic study of the widespread Andean rodent, Phyllotis xanthopygus. My goals were to obtain general information about the history of the species and to explore some issues of Nested Clade Analysis (NCA) sensitivity in an empirical framework. The mitochondrial marker, cytochrome-b, was sequenced to produce an intraspecific maximum-likelihoo phylogeny of Phyllotis xanthopygus. I assessed the sensitivity of NCA to alternative distances by incorporating...
Show moreI undertook a phylogenetic and phylogeographic study of the widespread Andean rodent, Phyllotis xanthopygus. My goals were to obtain general information about the history of the species and to explore some issues of Nested Clade Analysis (NCA) sensitivity in an empirical framework. The mitochondrial marker, cytochrome-b, was sequenced to produce an intraspecific maximum-likelihoo phylogeny of Phyllotis xanthopygus. I assessed the sensitivity of NCA to alternative distances by incorporating physiognomic information in the form of two elevation distances based on isolines. The elevation distances were largely congruent, but they both differed from the standard great-circle distance metrics. Only three out of nine phylogeographic inferences were the same for the different approaches.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- FSU_migr_etd-0026
- Format
- Thesis