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Title: Enriching Consumer Health Vocabulary Through Mining A Social Q&a Site: A Similarity-based Approach.
Creator: He, Zhe, Chen, Zhiwei, Oh, Sanghee, Hou, Jinghui, Bian, Jiang
Abstract/Description: The widely known vocabulary gap between health consumers and healthcare professionals hinders information seeking and health dialogue of consumers on end-user health applications. The Open Access and Collaborative Consumer Health Vocabulary (OAC CHV), which contains health-related terms used by lay consumers, has been created to bridge such a gap. Specifically, the OAC CHV facilitates consumers' health information retrieval by enabling consumer-facing health applications to translate between...
Show moreThe widely known vocabulary gap between health consumers and healthcare professionals hinders information seeking and health dialogue of consumers on end-user health applications. The Open Access and Collaborative Consumer Health Vocabulary (OAC CHV), which contains health-related terms used by lay consumers, has been created to bridge such a gap. Specifically, the OAC CHV facilitates consumers' health information retrieval by enabling consumer-facing health applications to translate between professional language and consumer friendly language. To keep up with the constantly evolving medical knowledge and language use, new terms need to be identified and added to the OAC CHV. User-generated content on social media, including social question and answer (social Q&A) sites, afford us an enormous opportunity in mining consumer health terms. Existing methods of identifying new consumer terms from text typically use ad-hoc lexical syntactic patterns and human review. Our study extends an existing method by extracting n-grams from a social Q&A textual corpus and representing them with a rich set of contextual and syntactic features. Using K-means clustering, our method, simiTerm, was able to identify terms that are both contextually and syntactically similar to the existing OAC CHV terms. We tested our method on social Q&A corpora on two disease domains: diabetes and cancer. Our method outperformed three baseline ranking methods. A post-hoc qualitative evaluation by human experts further validated that our method can effectively identify meaningful new consumer terms on social Q&A. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Date Issued: 2017-05
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_wos_000409395900008, 10.1016/j.jbi.2017.03.016
Format: Thesis

Title: Predictors of Proactive and Reactive Aggression in Children and their effect on Academic Achievement.
Creator: Ramcharran, Kimberley
Abstract/Description: Understanding predictors of early aggressive behavior is necessary to establishing intervention and prevention efforts to improve long-term outcomes for elementary children and their families. This study expands on existing aggression research by examining specific factors in Childhood aggression and their effect on academic performance. We asked 392 parents of 8-12 year olds to answer a 20-minute survey on-line about their children’s behavior, parenting styles, family demographics and grades...
Show moreUnderstanding predictors of early aggressive behavior is necessary to establishing intervention and prevention efforts to improve long-term outcomes for elementary children and their families. This study expands on existing aggression research by examining specific factors in Childhood aggression and their effect on academic performance. We asked 392 parents of 8-12 year olds to answer a 20-minute survey on-line about their children’s behavior, parenting styles, family demographics and grades. We compared demographic information, the occurrence of inattentive/hyperactive symptoms, parental involvement, and inconsistent parenting with 2 forms of aggression, proactive and reactive. These factors and their interactions with each other were compared with academic achievement. In the analysis of proactive aggression, we found that inattentive/hyperactive symptoms (β = .10, p = .01), positive involvement (β = -.11, p = .001), and inconsistent monitoring and discipline (β = .63, p < .001) were all significant predictors of proactive aggression, but income-to-needs ratio was not a significant indicator of proactive aggression (p = .09). We found Reactive aggression to be strongly associated with inattentive/hyperactive symptoms (β = .31, p < .001) and inconsistent parenting and monitoring (β = .50, p < .001), but not parental involvement (p = .46). Interestingly, Parent/child demographics remained insignificant with the exception of ethnicity. Hispanic children had lower rates of reactive aggression than non-Hispanic children (β = -.09, p = .02). We found that children’s grades were correlated positively with Parental education (β = .13, p = .009). Higher levels of inattentive/hyperactive symptoms (β = -.34, p < .001) and reactive aggression (β = -.20, p = .04) predicted lower grades over and above parental involvement. This research contributes to our understanding of the effects of demographic and parenting factors on both proactive and reactive aggression in children.
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Date Issued: 2016-12-06
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1481239530
Format: Thesis

Title: The Detrimental Effects of Diet-Induced Obesity on Olfactory Performance and Function.
Creator: Schreiter, Nicholas Alexander
Abstract/Description: Diet-induced obesity (DIO) decreases the number of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) in the nose and reduces their projections to the olfactory bulb. Whether surviving OSNs have equivalent odor responsivity is unknown. We utilized c-fos immediate early gene expression as a marker for neuronal activation to determine if DIO affects sensory function. Male mice that contained a gfp reporter for the M72 odorant receptor were challenged with control food (CF), moderately-high fat (MHF) diet, or...
Show moreDiet-induced obesity (DIO) decreases the number of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) in the nose and reduces their projections to the olfactory bulb. Whether surviving OSNs have equivalent odor responsivity is unknown. We utilized c-fos immediate early gene expression as a marker for neuronal activation to determine if DIO affects sensory function. Male mice that contained a gfp reporter for the M72 odorant receptor were challenged with control food (CF), moderately-high fat (MHF) diet, or high fat (HF) diet for 6 months upon weaning. Mice maintained on the modified diets weighed significantly more (one-way ANOVA, p<0.0001) and had reduced glucose clearance as determined by an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (one-way ANOVA, p<0.0001). Mice were exposed to isopropyl tiglate (IT) or clean air using a cyclic odor stimulation paradigm to activate the M72 odorant receptor. Immunocytochemical procedures demonstrated that the number of periglomerular (PG) cells did not decrease with fatty diets surrounding either the medial or lateral M72 glomerulus (one-way ANOVA; lateral (lat) – F(2, 11) = 0.4155, p = 0.67; medial (med) – F(2, 13) = 0.7149, p=0.5295). The M72 glomerular volume was also unaffected following DIO, which is consistent with PG cell abundance (one-way ANOVA; lat – F(2, 11) = 0.09720, p = 0.9081; med – F(2, 13) = 0.3194, p = 0.7321). Interestingly, unlike OSNs, PG cells do not show a reduction in abundance following DIO, which may suggest that PG cells possess resistance to the apoptotic effects of DIO via uninterrupted PG cell neurogenesis or other neuroprotective factors. The increase in c-fos immediate early gene activation with odor stimulation for PG cells surrounding the lateral and medial M72 glomerulus was not significantly different across dietary treatment (lat – Kruskal-Wallis = 2.367; p=0.3063; med – Kruskal-Wallis = 1.565; p = 0.4572). However, the mean fold change in c-fos positive PG cells revealed that the medial M72 glomerulus had decreased odor activation following DIO (CF = 5.45x, MHF = 2.49x, HF = 1.65x), while the lateral glomerulus had less decrease due to diet (CF = 2.95x, MHF = 1.95x, HF = 2.18x). This suggests that surviving OSNs projecting to the medial M72 glomerulus trend to have reduced activation by their ligand, IT, following DIO, but those projecting to the lateral glomerulus have similar odor sensitivity as CF mice. This work was supported by the Phi Eta Sigma Undergraduate Research Award, T32 DC000044, and R01 DC013080 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the NIDCD.
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Date Issued: 2016-12-08
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1481213576
Format: Thesis

Title: Developmental Effects of Oronasal Oxytocin Administration on Huddling Density in the Murine Neonate.
Creator: Carlton, Corinne Nicole
Date Issued: 2016-11-28
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1480625778
Format: Thesis

Title: Metrics For The Evaluation Of The Southern Ocean In Coupled Climate Models And Earth System Models.
Creator: Russell, Joellen L., Kamenkovich, Igor, Bitz, Cecilia, Ferrari, Raffaele, Gille, Sarah T., Goodman, Paul J., Hallberg, Robert, Johnson, Kenneth, Khazmutdinova, Karina, Marinov,...
Show moreRussell, Joellen L., Kamenkovich, Igor, Bitz, Cecilia, Ferrari, Raffaele, Gille, Sarah T., Goodman, Paul J., Hallberg, Robert, Johnson, Kenneth, Khazmutdinova, Karina, Marinov, Irina, Mazloff, Matthew, Riser, Stephen, Sarmiento, Jorge L., Speer, Kevin, Talley, Lynne D., Wanninkhof, Rik
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Abstract/Description: The Southern Ocean is central to the global climate and the global carbon cycle, and to the climate's response to increasing levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases, as it ventilates a large fraction of the global ocean volume. Global coupled climate models and earth system models, however, vary widely in their simulations of the Southern Ocean and its role in, and response to, the ongoing anthropogenic trend. Due to the region's complex water-mass structure and dynamics, Southern Ocean carbon...
Show moreThe Southern Ocean is central to the global climate and the global carbon cycle, and to the climate's response to increasing levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases, as it ventilates a large fraction of the global ocean volume. Global coupled climate models and earth system models, however, vary widely in their simulations of the Southern Ocean and its role in, and response to, the ongoing anthropogenic trend. Due to the region's complex water-mass structure and dynamics, Southern Ocean carbon and heat uptake depend on a combination of winds, eddies, mixing, buoyancy fluxes, and topography. Observationally based metrics are critical for discerning processes and mechanisms, and for validating and comparing climate and earth system models. New observations and understanding have allowed for progress in the creation of observationally based data/model metrics for the Southern Ocean. Metrics presented here provide a means to assess multiple simulations relative to the best available observations and observational products. Climate models that perform better according to these metrics also better simulate the uptake of heat and carbon by the Southern Ocean. This report is not strictly an intercomparison, but rather a distillation of key metrics that can reliably quantify the "accuracy" of a simulation against observed, or at least observable, quantities. One overall goal is to recommend standardization of observationally based benchmarks that the modeling community should aspire to meet in order to reduce uncertainties in climate projections, and especially uncertainties related to oceanic heat and carbon uptake. Plain Language Summary Observationally based metrics are essential for the standardized evaluation of climate and earth system models, and for reducing the uncertainty associated with future projections by those models.
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Date Issued: 2018-05-01
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_wos_000436111400001, 10.1002/2017JC013461
Format: Thesis

Title: A Search for Quantum Black Hole Production in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt(s) = 13 TeV Requiring Two High Energy Photons.
Creator: Tolbert, Steven William
Abstract/Description: This thesis searches for new physics at CMS in the form of microscopic black hole production at a minimum threshold of formation of 2.0 TeV. This analysis will examine data from Run II of the LHC with center-of-mass energy sqrt(s)=13 TeV, and an integrated luminosity of 12.9 +- 0.8 fb^-1. This is the first analysis to search for microscopic black hole production with the requirement of two high pT photons in the final state. After modeling backgrounds through low jet multiplicity control...
Show moreThis thesis searches for new physics at CMS in the form of microscopic black hole production at a minimum threshold of formation of 2.0 TeV. This analysis will examine data from Run II of the LHC with center-of-mass energy sqrt(s)=13 TeV, and an integrated luminosity of 12.9 +- 0.8 fb^-1. This is the first analysis to search for microscopic black hole production with the requirement of two high pT photons in the final state. After modeling backgrounds through low jet multiplicity control regions, no statistically significant excess is found in the signal region.
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Date Issued: 4/28/2017
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1493408195
Format: Thesis

Title: White Sand, Black Beach: Civil Rights, Public Space, And Miami's Virginia Key.
Creator: Mooney, Katherine
Date Issued: 2017-05
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_wos_000401785500013
Format: Thesis

Title: Fractionalization and Its Impact on Income Inequality in Panama.
Creator: Flores, Aldair San
Abstract/Description: Honors Thesis that uses observations from numerical data and relates income inequality to the different types of fractionalization. A case study on the Republic of Panama is presented and leads us to implications of the entire globe.
Date Issued: 2017-04-25
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1493165006
Format: Thesis

Title: Effect of ORF52 KSHV Localization on its Ability to Inhibit cGAS Activity.
Creator: Henriquez, John Gabriel
Date Issued: 2018-12-19
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1545259955_284e24c0
Format: Thesis

Title: Analyzing the Effect of Prison Labor on Recidivism in Florida: A Skills Based Approach.
Creator: Rodriguez, Osvaldo
Date Issued: 2018-12-12
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1544640775_0ec12c28
Format: Thesis

Title: Exploring Pupil Diameter as a Lie Detection Method.
Creator: Gonzales, Violeta
Abstract/Description: Traditional methods of lie detection (e.g., polygraph, GSR, heart rate) have often led to more controversy than successful detection. Leading the charge into the future of lie detection technology is eye-tracking, a young and innovative field that represents a new and promising strategy for addressing deception by measuring eye movements, pupil size, and attentional allocation. This experiment examined the body’s physiological reactions to engaging in deception by using pupillometry. We...
Show moreTraditional methods of lie detection (e.g., polygraph, GSR, heart rate) have often led to more controversy than successful detection. Leading the charge into the future of lie detection technology is eye-tracking, a young and innovative field that represents a new and promising strategy for addressing deception by measuring eye movements, pupil size, and attentional allocation. This experiment examined the body’s physiological reactions to engaging in deception by using pupillometry. We examined and compared these physiological responses between two conditions: being told to tell a lie or the truth. We also examined the effects of the lie being told spontaneously compared to knowing in advance that a lie would be produced, as well as the effect of practice. With the use of a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) paradigm, participants looked at a continuous stream of visual images (i.e., letters) and were asked to report (or lie about) the letter of a unique color (black letter among gray letters). Participants were prompted at the end of the trial to either report the letter correctly, or to lie about it. On some trials, this prompt occurred in advance of the letter stream so participants could prepare to lie, and for other trials it occurred at the end and participants had little opportunity to prepare their lie. It was predicted that lies would be characterized by an increase in pupil size, but this prediction received limited support. With regard to reaction time, lie responses took significantly longer, and there was a trend for this cost to decrease with practice. So while lies were successfully detected, the implementation of pupillometry was not successful, and future research is suggested in order to collect more powerful results from a stronger paradigm.
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Date Issued: 2018-11-28
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1544654398_5c390da3
Format: Thesis

Title: An Examination of Overprotective Parenting as a Link Between ADHD and Anxiety In 5-7 Year Old Children.
Creator: Kegley, Molly
Abstract/Description: Appearing in early to late childhood, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is one of the most common psychological disorders and can affect several aspects of a child’s life, including peer relations and overall well-being. Key symptoms of ADHD include symptoms restlessness, inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. There is a high comorbidity between ADHD and anxiety, although it is not clear which disorder comes first developmentally since possible mechanisms that underlie the link...
Show moreAppearing in early to late childhood, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is one of the most common psychological disorders and can affect several aspects of a child’s life, including peer relations and overall well-being. Key symptoms of ADHD include symptoms restlessness, inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. There is a high comorbidity between ADHD and anxiety, although it is not clear which disorder comes first developmentally since possible mechanisms that underlie the link between them are not well understood. Some studies have suggested that specific parenting styles may be linked to both ADHD and anxiety in young children. These studies have suggested that the symptoms of ADHD may lead to controlling or overprotective parenting - including intrusiveness and discouragement of personal independence. This parenting style has been linked to increased anxiety levels in children and could be a potential catalyst for increased levels of anxiety among children with ADHD. The current project aimed to examine whether the comorbidity between anxiety and ADHD could be connected to over-protective parenting by testing a mediation model in a group of 102 5-7 year old children. We utilized the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to measure the level of ADHD and anxiety symptoms as reported by the parent and the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ) to measure the overprotective tendencies exhibited by the parent. Results supported a mediation model wherein the link between ADHD and anxiety symptoms was significantly mediated by over-protective parenting style.
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Date Issued: 2018-10-19
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1544651013_082c4dfd
Format: Thesis

Title: Mathematical Notions in Theoretical Physics.
Creator: Escabi, Javier Alejandro
Date Issued: 2018-12-08
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1544299997_2f867606
Format: Thesis

Title: The Presentation of Visual Details in Modern Audio Drama, 2012-2017.
Creator: Christopher, Erin E
Date Issued: 2018-12-07
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1544211081_7720c62a
Format: Thesis

Title: Tracking the Evolution of Water Column NO3-+NO2- δ15N & δ18O from the South Atlantic, Through the Gulf of Mexico, and to the North Atlantic.
Creator: Howe, Samantha Paige
Abstract/Description: The Gulf of Mexico is known for the biogeochemical impacts of significant riverine nutrient inputs on the ecosystem. However, it is unclear whether nutrients delivered to the Gulf of Mexico are subsequently exported from the Gulf, further influencing the chemistry of the North Atlantic. The nitrogen and oxygen isotopic composition of nitrate (NO3-) have been increasingly used to track nitrogen fluxes to, from, and cycling within the ocean. Here, we report the first dual isotopic composition...
Show moreThe Gulf of Mexico is known for the biogeochemical impacts of significant riverine nutrient inputs on the ecosystem. However, it is unclear whether nutrients delivered to the Gulf of Mexico are subsequently exported from the Gulf, further influencing the chemistry of the North Atlantic. The nitrogen and oxygen isotopic composition of nitrate (NO3-) have been increasingly used to track nitrogen fluxes to, from, and cycling within the ocean. Here, we report the first dual isotopic composition measurements of NO3- from the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Straits, and compare these with prior measurements from the South and North Atlantic, and identify potential processes consistent with the observed shifts. The nitrogen and oxygen isotopic composition of nitrate in the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Straits is very similar to that previously measured in the Sargasso Sea. There is little evidence for riverine or submarine groundwater NO3- directly influencing the isotopic composition of NO3- exported from the Gulf of Mexico. These results are consistent with recent modeling work suggesting that the majority of riverine nutrients delivered to the Gulf of Mexico are retained in the near-shore region.
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Date Issued: 2018-11-30
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1544166511_4abc31f1
Format: Thesis

Title: Effects of Neonatal Stress on the Parietal Hippocampal Network.
Creator: Pei, Eric
Abstract/Description: Maternal separation in rats is used to study how stress impacts the brain. Our laboratory previously made use of a simple model of learning and memory to assess the effects of early stress in the form of daily maternal separation on adult learning and memory using a simple model system to assess learning and memory: eyeblink conditioning. Glucocorticoids are important for modulation of stress for adult learning and memory. Previously we found that neonatal stress increased glucocorticoid...
Show moreMaternal separation in rats is used to study how stress impacts the brain. Our laboratory previously made use of a simple model of learning and memory to assess the effects of early stress in the form of daily maternal separation on adult learning and memory using a simple model system to assess learning and memory: eyeblink conditioning. Glucocorticoids are important for modulation of stress for adult learning and memory. Previously we found that neonatal stress increased glucocorticoid receptor expression in the cerebellum, that increased receptor expression was correlated with impaired learning and that blocking excess receptors restored normal learning. Here we set out to begin assessing the possibility that more complex learning and memory brain systems may be altered in a similar way. The parietal hippocampal network has been shown to be part of the brain network responsible for learning, memory and spatial navigation and has not been previously assessed following neonatal stress. To test for how early stress affects learning and memory in the parietal hippocampal network, GR expression was quantified. By using previously obtained coronal sections of brain data, GR expression was analyzed in the parietal cortex. Neonatal maternal separation was found to not significantly alter GR expression in the parietal cortex or effect stress on the parietal hippocampal network. GR expression varies oppositely from studies on connectivity and differences in regional GR expression is suggested to not interact with neonatal stress.
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Date Issued: 2018-12-07
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1544194756_11d65681
Format: Thesis

Title: Vulnerable Objects.
Creator: Grace, Kasey
Date Issued: 2018-12-07
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1544192788_448ccb77
Format: Thesis

Title: "In a sleepier century": A Work for Chamber Orchestra and Dance.
Creator: Barzso, Isaac
Date Issued: 2018-11-15
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1544292189_ee27d901
Format: Thesis

Title: The Media and Drugs: A Content Analysis of Conversation Shifts Between Drug Wars.
Creator: Craig, Chloe
Abstract/Description: The media in the United States (U.S.) continues to expand its broad reaching coverage which shapes national discourse and perceptions about crime. Thus, it becomes increasingly important to assess the information that is being produced and disseminated through this medium. The purpose of the current research is to employ a content analysis of four widely circulated news sources, The New York Times (NYT), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), The Washington Post, and USA Today, within the years 1987,...
Show moreThe media in the United States (U.S.) continues to expand its broad reaching coverage which shapes national discourse and perceptions about crime. Thus, it becomes increasingly important to assess the information that is being produced and disseminated through this medium. The purpose of the current research is to employ a content analysis of four widely circulated news sources, The New York Times (NYT), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), The Washington Post, and USA Today, within the years 1987, 2005, and 2015 to assess the variability in media coverage and how the discussion of drugs and drug usage in these news sources has changed over time. This research focuses specific attention on whether the coverage changed, in part, as a result of the demographic shift in drug usage or some other bias process. This research seeks to shed light on implicit bias that underlies the news coverage as well as the policy responses to the drug problem in the U.S. In the analyses, four major themes emerged: criminality and social control, descriptions of treatment and rehabilitation, race and racial subtext, and policy. As hypothesized, there is a substantial decrease in the discussion of criminal justice responses to opioid use compared to methamphetamine (meth) and crack use. In addition, treatment was increasingly more likely to be discussed as time progressed, which suggest that this discussion was most common during the opioid crisis. Additionally, race seemed to play a large role within each time period as there were high counts of racial subtexts over all three time periods. Black Americans were labeled using low socioeconomic and criminal/violent descriptions, and White Americans were described as having higher potentials and access to resources. Finally, as policies shifted over these three time periods, so did the media coverage. The discussion within the meth epidemic is broader and contains slightly more personal stories, and the opioid crisis contained the highest number of individual stories connected with policy implementation. The results of this study highlight the relevance of the media and how they can control the conversation about major social ills in society. Thus, it is critical to understand how the media constructs narratives about social problems, and it is important for the media to recognize how the biases in its coverage can impact society at large. Overall, the significant shifts in media conversation about drugs can influence bias among readers. Society absorbs media messages regularly and will commonly use the media to form opinions about hot topics or relevant topics within the news. This study calls for news sources to recognize implicit biases and understand the impact of the way news is covered.
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Date Issued: 2018-11-27
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1543956341_2ce10521
Format: Thesis

Title: Conservation Worldwide: an Analysis of Protected Areas Under Different Political Systems.
Creator: Hebron, Matthew, Coleman, Eric
Date Issued: 2018-11-29
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1543877039_2137b1c1
Format: Thesis

Title: Spatial-Temporal Deep Neural Networks for Land Use Classification of LandSat Images.
Creator: Farzaneh, Cameron Vahid
Date Issued: 2018-12-06
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1544152391_4e969591
Format: Thesis

Title: Harnessing near-IR Light with Molecular Photon Upconversion Solar Cells.
Creator: Posey, Victoria
Abstract/Description: Triplet-triplet annihilation photon upconversion (TTA-UC) allows for the conversion of two low energy photons into a higher energy state and can therefore be utilized to improve the efficiency of solar cell devices. TTA-UC allows for the increased efficiency because a large portion of the solar spectrum remains unabsorbed by solar devices. The use of an osmium sensitizer has allowed for the upconversion of near-IR to visible light in solution, but not yet on the surface. We explore the use of...
Show moreTriplet-triplet annihilation photon upconversion (TTA-UC) allows for the conversion of two low energy photons into a higher energy state and can therefore be utilized to improve the efficiency of solar cell devices. TTA-UC allows for the increased efficiency because a large portion of the solar spectrum remains unabsorbed by solar devices. The use of an osmium sensitizer has allowed for the upconversion of near-IR to visible light in solution, but not yet on the surface. We explore the use of an osmium sensitizer with perylene diimide acceptors in a self-assembled bilayer device utilizing TTA-UC.
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Date Issued: 2018-12-04
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1543956781_aa64daed
Format: Thesis

Title: Differential Expression of Neuron Glial Antigen 2 in a Subpopulation of Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages.
Creator: Broussard, Erynn Nicole
Abstract/Description: Neuron glial antigen 2 (NG2) is a transmembrane protein predominately expressed in certain central nervous system (CNS) cells. Among these cell types are oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) and astrocytes. The 250 kilodalton core protein undergoes extensive post-translational modification. The addition of chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycan chains and disulfide bonds allows for binding to a number of receptors and extracellular ligands which allows it to play a vital role in cell...
Show moreNeuron glial antigen 2 (NG2) is a transmembrane protein predominately expressed in certain central nervous system (CNS) cells. Among these cell types are oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) and astrocytes. The 250 kilodalton core protein undergoes extensive post-translational modification. The addition of chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycan chains and disulfide bonds allows for binding to a number of receptors and extracellular ligands which allows it to play a vital role in cell migration, survival, and angiogenesis. Although NG2 expression has been classically associated with CNS cell types, the presence of NG2 has been detected in immune cells in a variety of CNS pathologies. Following a spinal cord injury (SCI), a small population of bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) infiltrating the injured spinal cord have been reported to express NG2. While infiltrating macrophages in the injured spinal cord are considered pro-inflammatory, it is unclear whether NG2+ BMDMs are classically (pro-inflammatory) or alternatively activated (anti-inflammatory). In addition, much is still unknown regarding the immunological role of NG2+ macrophages. To determine the factors driving NG2 expression, we quantified protein expression following various activating stimuli. The findings suggest that NG2 upregulation is strongly associated with alternative (anti-inflammatory) activation.
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Date Issued: 2018-12-06
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1544082780_9588a7c4
Format: Thesis

Title: Comparing Naming Speed in the Arabic and English Productions by Bilingual Speakers Using Syllables/Second.
Creator: Emerson, Olivia Lauren
Date Issued: 2018-12-03
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1544113520_e068f3c8
Format: Thesis

Title: Social Media Perceptions.
Creator: Stapp, Rebecca
Abstract/Description: This current study explores how millennials’ online perceptions are affecting their employment opportunities. Living in this digital age, all young adults and college students should be conscious of their online perception. This study exposes more information on what employers and recruiters do not want to see while screening a potential candidate’s social media. It will test the effects of a created social media user engaging in inappropriate images of sexual content and illegal drug use....
Show moreThis current study explores how millennials’ online perceptions are affecting their employment opportunities. Living in this digital age, all young adults and college students should be conscious of their online perception. This study exposes more information on what employers and recruiters do not want to see while screening a potential candidate’s social media. It will test the effects of a created social media user engaging in inappropriate images of sexual content and illegal drug use. This study focuses on how images related to sexual content and illegal drug use can impact one’s credibility and employment opportunities. After all, public perception is reality and if that reality has the potential to hurt an organization’s reputation, the potential candidate probably won’t be offered a position.
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Date Issued: 2018-12-12
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1544628646_043d7ad3
Format: Thesis

Title: International and Regional Indigenous Rights: An Analysis of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights with a Case Study on Guatemala.
Creator: Ravins, Ashley
Date Issued: 2018-11-30
Identifier: FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1543589419_2faacbdd
Format: Thesis

Title: Making Symbolic Meaning Through the Engagement of Intercultural Exchanges: The Relationship Between Intercultural Communication and Global Competnecy on a U.S. University Campus.
Creator: Evenson, Melissa L., Luschei, Thomas, Rutledge, Stacey, Schrader, Linda, Iatarola, Patrice, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This study reveals how participants in cross-cultural programs engage in intercultural communication with one another and reflect on global competency. Researchers agree that many U.S. students graduating from universities today are not receiving the necessary tools to successfully work abroad. This study has two major research objectives: to examine the engagement of intercultural communication between two people from different cultures and their reflections on global competency. Data were...
Show moreThis study reveals how participants in cross-cultural programs engage in intercultural communication with one another and reflect on global competency. Researchers agree that many U.S. students graduating from universities today are not receiving the necessary tools to successfully work abroad. This study has two major research objectives: to examine the engagement of intercultural communication between two people from different cultures and their reflections on global competency. Data were collected from 10 participants who were paired up with a person(s) of a different culture in conversation partner programs. Semi-structured interviews, qualitative analysis, and software were other methods used. I use the symbolic interaction approach to examine the engagement of intercultural communication and how that relates to the global competency of students and community members participating in cross-cultural programs on a U.S. university campus. The symbolic interaction approach examines the symbols and meanings people have for things. Findings show that participants--U.S. and international students, scholars, and community members--engage in intercultural communication by two key methods: the initial cultural philosophy and the stating of cultural differences. Findings from the second research question, examining how global competency relates to intercultural communication, indicates that according to participants, self-awareness and cultural awareness are readily apparent.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0434
Format: Thesis

Title: The Representation of Association Semantics with Annotations in a Biodiversity Informatics System.
Creator: Gaitros, Daivd A., Riccardi, Greg, Ronquist, Fredrik, Engelen, Robert van, Srinivasan, Ashok, Department of Computer Science, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: A specialized variation of associations for biodiversity data is defined and developed that makes the capture and discovery of information about biological images easier and more efficient. Biodiversity is the study of the diversity of plants and animals within a given region. Storing, understanding, and retrieving biodiversity data is a complex problem. Biodiversity experts disagree on the structure and the basic ontologies. Much of the knowledge on this subject is contained in private...
Show moreA specialized variation of associations for biodiversity data is defined and developed that makes the capture and discovery of information about biological images easier and more efficient. Biodiversity is the study of the diversity of plants and animals within a given region. Storing, understanding, and retrieving biodiversity data is a complex problem. Biodiversity experts disagree on the structure and the basic ontologies. Much of the knowledge on this subject is contained in private collections, paper notebooks, and the minds biologists. Collaboration among scientists is still problematic because of the logistics involved in sharing collections. This research adds value to image repositories by collecting and publishing semantically rich user specified associations among images and other objects. Current database and annotation techniques rely on structured data sets and ontologies to make storing, associating, and retrieving data efficient and reliable. A problem with biodiversity data is that the information is usually stored as ad-hoc text associated with non-standardized schemas and ontologies. This research developed a method that allows the storage of ad-hoc semantic associations through a complex relationship of working sets, phylogenetic character states, and image annotations. MorphBank is a collaborative research project supported by an NSF BDI grant (0446224 - $2,249,530.00) titled "Web Image Database Technology for Comparative Morphology and Biodiversity Research". MorphBank is an on-line museum-quality collection of biological images that facilitates the collaboration of biologists from around the world. This research proves the viability of using association semantics through annotations of biodiversity informatics for storing and discovery of new information.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0437
Format: Thesis

Title: Dynamics of the Wind Field Expansion Associated with Extratropically Transitioning Tropical Cyclones.
Creator: Evans, Allen Clark, Hart, Robert, Cunningham, Philip, Krishnamurti, T. N., Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Extratropical transition, or ET, can be characterized by the transformation of an initially symmetric, warm-core tropical cyclone into an initially cold-core, asymmetric extratropical cyclone. As a consequence of undergoing transition, changes in the synoptic and dynamic characteristics of the cyclone are realized. Of particular note is the wind field evolution, one of the aspects of ET that has seen little research into its causes. Previous informal theories toward understanding the wind...
Show moreExtratropical transition, or ET, can be characterized by the transformation of an initially symmetric, warm-core tropical cyclone into an initially cold-core, asymmetric extratropical cyclone. As a consequence of undergoing transition, changes in the synoptic and dynamic characteristics of the cyclone are realized. Of particular note is the wind field evolution, one of the aspects of ET that has seen little research into its causes. Previous informal theories toward understanding the wind field evolution based upon key meteorological conservation principles do not accurately account for its observed evolution, while formal studies into other aspects of the ET process (e.g. Ritchie et al. 2001, Jones et al. 2003) have only mentioned its existence or its resultant impacts. This study attempts to bridge this gap by analyzing the physical and dynamical mechanisms involved with both the expansion of the wind field and outward movement of the radial wind maximum during the transition process. One ET case, North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Bonnie (1998), is modeled using the Pennsylvania State University/NCAR Mesoscale Model version 5 (MM5; Dudhia 1993) at 12km horizontal resolution. The evolution of the cyclone within the model output is found to be an accurate measure of reality when compared to the observed track and dynamical evolution of the cyclone. Analysis of the model output shows that the expansion of the wind field is brought about by the net import of absolute angular momentum from a midlatitude trough of low pressure along descending isentropic trajectories in the western semicircle of the cyclone. Export of absolute angular momentum in the outward branch of the secondary circulation in the eastern semicircle of the cyclone partially negates but does not balance the import to the west; thus a net import of momentum into the cyclone is seen. Redistribution of momentum within the cyclone is accomplished through vertical pressure torques. The overall evolution is found to be consistent with that for a developing extratropical cyclone as shown by Johnson and Downey (1976). Net cooling (warming) inside (outside) of the radial wind maximum is shown to lead to the outward movement of this feature via a hydrostatic response in the radial height gradient, a response opposite to that seen with eyewall contraction (Shapiro and Willoughby 1982) yet consistent with the transition into a cold-core vortex. The observed results are used to formulate a conceptual model for the evolution of the wind field during ET. Implications toward the wind field evolution with other post-ET structural evolutions, such as warm seclusion cyclones and those that remain cold core yet strengthen (e.g. Hart et al. 2006), are drawn in conjunction with the observed results. Related concepts of vertical wind shear and cyclone size are discussed as natural outgrowths of the wind field expansion process.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0439
Format: Thesis

Title: The Thermodynamic Evolution of Recurving Tropical Cyclone Bonnie (1998).
Creator: Evans, Allen Clark, Hart, Robert E., Elsner, James B., Krishnamurti, T. N., Reasor, Paul, Ruscher, Paul, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Florida State...
Show moreEvans, Allen Clark, Hart, Robert E., Elsner, James B., Krishnamurti, T. N., Reasor, Paul, Ruscher, Paul, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Florida State University
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Abstract/Description: One of the defining characteristics of the extratropical transition of tropical cyclones is the transition of the warm core thermal structure associated with the tropical cyclone into an initially cold core thermal structure associated with the extratropical cyclone. Despite this being a defining characteristic of the extratropical transition process, the literature expresses no consensus agreement upon or a quantification and physical description of the factors that explicitly cause this...
Show moreOne of the defining characteristics of the extratropical transition of tropical cyclones is the transition of the warm core thermal structure associated with the tropical cyclone into an initially cold core thermal structure associated with the extratropical cyclone. Despite this being a defining characteristic of the extratropical transition process, the literature expresses no consensus agreement upon or a quantification and physical description of the factors that explicitly cause this transition to occur. Understanding this evolution is important in order to better forecast and describe the evolution of physical features within the cyclone such as its four-dimensional wind field structure and to begin to quantify the contributors to the poleward transport of heat energy associated with the transitioning cyclone and its impacts upon hemisphere weather patterns and model predictability. This work employs a suite of high resolution numerical simulations in order to quantify and physically describe the evolution of the thermodynamic structure associated with a typical extratropical transition case, North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Bonnie of 1998. Thermodynamic budgets native to the numerical model's primitive equation set and physical parameterizations are computed during the transition phase of the cyclone within a four-dimensional analysis framework. The observed warm-to-cold thermal profile evolution is found to arise out of an imbalance between dynamical cooling and parameterized warming contributions. This dynamical cooling, as influenced by horizontal advection, vertical advection and adiabatic cooling, and total divergence, is of greater magnitude than warming associated with latent heat release due to condensation and deposition processes within the transitioning cyclone's delta rain region. While the net thermodynamic evolution is found to be relatively resolution-insensitive, specific details of the thermodynamic balance are found to vary depending upon the horizontal resolution of the given numerical simulation. The thermodynamic evolution is ultimately shown to be a natural outgrowth of the factors that influence extratropical transition as a whole and is found to closely resemble the mature and occluding stages of purely cold-core extratropical cyclone development.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0440
Format: Thesis

Title: Ayn Rand's Heroes: Between and Beyond Good and Evil.
Creator: Powell, Robert L., Fowler, Douglas, Cloonan, William, Picart, Caroline “Kay", Fenstermaker, John, Department of English, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This study examines Ayn Rand's fiction in relation to twentieth century literature and culture. Despite its linguistic potential, "The Fountainhead" is not good art and does not represent romantic fiction as Rand claims. It is truly her own reactionary prose which rebels against literary movements she hated such as naturalism. Rand's philosophy of Objectivism is really a right-wing form of Existentialism and Marxism. Ayn Rand and George Orwell both endured shocking life experiences which...
Show moreThis study examines Ayn Rand's fiction in relation to twentieth century literature and culture. Despite its linguistic potential, "The Fountainhead" is not good art and does not represent romantic fiction as Rand claims. It is truly her own reactionary prose which rebels against literary movements she hated such as naturalism. Rand's philosophy of Objectivism is really a right-wing form of Existentialism and Marxism. Ayn Rand and George Orwell both endured shocking life experiences which shaped their ideas and fiction. Rand learned extreme capitalism while Orwell learned skepticism. Rand's skeptical heroes are the most interesting of her canon. Rand's "The Fountainhead" is a blend of Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy of the Superman and the typical American capitalist hero. Gail Wynand, Rand's most Nietzschean character, is her true hero and Dominique is her true villain. Rand's fiction doesn't fit easily into any specific literary genres. Therefore, popular writers, such as Mickey Spillane and Edna Ferber may have been influenced by Rand. Furthermore, similar tendencies of her work can also be seen in choice literature novels of Simone deBeauvoir, Toni Morrison and Joyce Carol Oates. As a capitalist novel, "The Fountainhead" sits among an unappreciated group of works by the literary establishment which should be understood-- if not embraced. The 1943 work portrays capitalist heroes without their loveable 'common man' aspect. Rand's capitalists are rebels with the American idea, that, in pursuit of their excessive selfish desires-- the sky's the limit. Randian heroes—anti-heroes of productive work, have continually re-emerged in American popular culture. Rand's fiction is popular because it's entertaining trash that Americans love. Loveable common man tycoons such as Bill Gates and the late Sam Walton have turned into the anti-heroic Don King and the late Ken Lay. Anti-heroic icons such as Gordon Gekko of the film "Wall Street", in the Randian tradition, show us the ugly but true side of American capitalist culture that is important for us to expose, admit and examine.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0452
Format: Thesis

Title: Conflict, Cooperation, and the World's Legal Systems.
Creator: Powell, Emilia Justyna, Smith, Dale L., Stoltzfus, Nathan, Mitchell, Sara McLaughlin, Hensel, Paul R., Staton, Jeffrey K., Department of Political Science, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: In this dissertation, I explore the relationship between legal systems, the rule of law, and states' cooperative and conflictual behavior. I analyze how domestic legal systems (common, civil, Islamic, etc.) influence a state's foreign policy behavior towards other states and international regimes. I also consider the extent to which the legitimacy of a domestic legal system modifies the relationship between legal systems and foreign policy behavior. In particular, I address the following...
Show moreIn this dissertation, I explore the relationship between legal systems, the rule of law, and states' cooperative and conflictual behavior. I analyze how domestic legal systems (common, civil, Islamic, etc.) influence a state's foreign policy behavior towards other states and international regimes. I also consider the extent to which the legitimacy of a domestic legal system modifies the relationship between legal systems and foreign policy behavior. In particular, I address the following questions: 1) How does the similarity of domestic legal system influence a state's foreign policy behavior towards other states and international institutions?, and 2) How does the legitimacy of a domestic legal system shape states' behavior towards other states and international institutions. I put forth a legal normative argument, which traces the reasons standing behind states' actions to their internal legal structure. I argue that states with similar and highly legitimate legal systems are more likely to cooperate with one another than states representing divergent and weakly legitimate legal traditions. In the same way, a nation is more likely to be supportive of an international institution if its legal rules and procedures resemble the nation's domestic legal order. My argument can be summarized as follows: International cooperation, both formal and informal, can be understood as contractual relationships. Domestic legal systems have an important effect on the way that states bargain over international contracts, because they affect the costs, benefits, and uncertainties of interstate cooperation. In particular, domestic legal system types and legitimacy influence contractual relations as far as the probability of signing interstate contracts, design of contracts, and their enforcement. I test my argument empirically in three different areas: states' propensity to accept the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice; alliances; and the link existing between states' legal tradition and their conflictual interstate behavior. I find that both of the characteristics of the internal legal structure, legal system type and legitimacy, have a substantial impact on the way that states behave on the international arena.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0453
Format: Thesis

Title: Enhancing Basic Concepts in Preschool Children Through Interactive Storybook Reading.
Creator: Prichard, Cassandra D., Woods, Juliann, Jackson, Carla Wood, Horton-Ikard, Ramonda, Department of Accounting, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this study was to examine whether dialogic reading, an evidence based intervention involving interactive storybook reading, improved the basic concept knowledge of preschool children using flap books or storyline books. A multiple baseline design was used with four children to teach eight basic concepts. Concepts were identified for each child from the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (Boehm, 2001) and embedded within the two different types of books, flap and storyline books, to...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to examine whether dialogic reading, an evidence based intervention involving interactive storybook reading, improved the basic concept knowledge of preschool children using flap books or storyline books. A multiple baseline design was used with four children to teach eight basic concepts. Concepts were identified for each child from the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (Boehm, 2001) and embedded within the two different types of books, flap and storyline books, to determine if the type of book would have an intervention effect on vocabulary learning. A positive change in basic concept comprehension was demonstrated on the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (Boehm, 2001) following implementation of dialogic reading strategies using flap books and basic storyline books indicating that overall the intervention was effective. However, the implications of the results regarding the type of storybook most appropriate for the intervention are not clear. Further research is warranted on the use of flap books and dialogic reading.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0454
Format: Thesis

Title: Evidence-Based Research for the Geriatric Population.
Creator: Thomason, Danae Katherine, Standley, Jayne M., Darrow, Alice-Anne, Gregory, Sarah, College of Music, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this study was to analyze the existing quantitative experimental research evaluating the effect of music on symptoms of the geriatric population. A review of literature was conducted on 47 studies found in twelve refereed journals evaluating. Common objectives, assessments, and procedures were identified and clinical guidelines for evidence-based procedures were developed. Results and further quantitative research are suggested and discussed.
Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0377
Format: Thesis

Title: One Plus One Equals Three.
Creator: Steinmetz, Kristi Marie, Ortiz-Taylor, Sheila, McRorie, Sally, Fenstermaker, John, Moore, Dennis, Department of English, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This dissertation is a creative non-fiction manuscript following in the combined literary traditions of the American Captivity Narrative (e.g., Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl), Hélène Cixous's écriture feminine, and Gloria Anzaldúa's "autobiographical consciousness" (Irene Lara "Daughter of Coatlicue" 54). The project speaks to and for the common yet controversial reality in our society of the choices – for both natural mother and natural father – surrounding pregnancy...
Show moreThis dissertation is a creative non-fiction manuscript following in the combined literary traditions of the American Captivity Narrative (e.g., Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl), Hélène Cixous's écriture feminine, and Gloria Anzaldúa's "autobiographical consciousness" (Irene Lara "Daughter of Coatlicue" 54). The project speaks to and for the common yet controversial reality in our society of the choices – for both natural mother and natural father – surrounding pregnancy. The project also provides an account of contemporary America's response to single-parenting between the years 2002 and 2006. Although the memoir is a personal investigation of pregnancy, abandonment-grief, birth, and mothering, this work is an act of transformation and healing that extends outward into the culture in that it is a textual moment of learning and knowing. The memoir is a process of interaction Anzaldúa would refer to as conocimiento: of writing self beyond self (Lara 44-45).
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0376
Format: Thesis

Title: Exploration of Monostrand Use in Segmental Box Girder Bridges.
Creator: Spear, Herbert Houston, Rambo-Roddenberry, Michelle, Spainhour, Lisa, Tawfiq, Kamal, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: For the past several decades the segmental box girder bridge has proven itself to be one of the more efficient bridge types. Using reusable form work, segments are match-cast, ensuring a more perfect connection during the construction phase. These benefits in conjunction with the fact that the costs of startup and form work are absorbed into the total cost of each segment mean that the longer the final bridge is, the less the cost is per segment, making the segmental box girder bridge one of...
Show moreFor the past several decades the segmental box girder bridge has proven itself to be one of the more efficient bridge types. Using reusable form work, segments are match-cast, ensuring a more perfect connection during the construction phase. These benefits in conjunction with the fact that the costs of startup and form work are absorbed into the total cost of each segment mean that the longer the final bridge is, the less the cost is per segment, making the segmental box girder bridge one of the most popular long bridge types constructed in the U.S. To minimize cost, it is important to design each segment for efficiency in terms of quantity of longitudinal and transverse post-tensioning and reinforcing steel. The inclusion of post-tensioning technology results in an overall compressive state in the longitudinal and transverse directions of the segments, improving structure strength and service life. However, despite the benefits inherent in using post-tensioning technology, the webs still contain standard deformed reinforcement. The goal of this research is to fit a greased and sheathed monostrand within a segment in a way that both webs and bottom flange would be placed in a state of compression, thereby reducing the demand for standard web reinforcement and, hopefully, segment cost. The research objectives include analyzing principal stresses in the webs of the segment, modifying the segment so as to restrain the monostrand within the webs, designing any additional reinforcement that may be necessary, and finally comparing the estimated construction cost of the new design with that of a pre-existing structure. The results from this research have shown that it is indeed possible to place a greased and sheathed monostrand within the webs of a segment with beneficial results and that the demand for standard deformed reinforcement will thus be reduced.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0375
Format: Thesis

Title: Louis Moreau Gottschalk, John Sullivan Dwight, and the Development of Musical Culture in the United States, 1853-1865.
Creator: Pruett, Laura Moore, Glahn, Denise Von, Shaftel, Matthew, Seaton, Douglass, College of Music, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This dissertation investigates the relationships between the lives and works of Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-69) and John Sullivan Dwight (1813-93). It demonstrates that the points of intersection were influenced not only by musical concerns – composition, performance, and criticism – but also by larger social and cultural issues that shaped mid-nineteenth-century America, including race, religion, politics, and philosophy. A broader goal of this project is to gain a fuller understanding of...
Show moreThis dissertation investigates the relationships between the lives and works of Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-69) and John Sullivan Dwight (1813-93). It demonstrates that the points of intersection were influenced not only by musical concerns – composition, performance, and criticism – but also by larger social and cultural issues that shaped mid-nineteenth-century America, including race, religion, politics, and philosophy. A broader goal of this project is to gain a fuller understanding of the culture of America at mid-century and most specifically of its musical life. This was a crucial time for the formation of the musical styles and tastes that prepared the way for the current conditions of American musical culture. The final purpose of this dissertation is to reveal the far-reaching influence of the connections explored here. Through the combination of social and cultural research, style analysis, and reception history, I demonstrate that the music composed and performed by Louis Moreau Gottschalk and the critical writings of John Sullivan Dwight were shaped by a variety of social forces, including the cult of virtuosity, blackface minstrelsy, exoticism, nationalism, sentimentalism, and New England Transcendentalism. The effects of the careers of Dwight and Gottschalk can still be felt in the ways music is seen, heard, and performed in America. The two men were connected within a web of cultural intersections that thrives in the diversity of American music today.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0466
Format: Thesis

Title: An Analysis of Gender, Authority and Educational Background of Voice Teachers in Undergraduate Degree-Granting Institutions.
Creator: Puller, Shawn I., Weelden, Kim Van, Morris, Richard, Madsen, Clifford, Geringer, John, College of Music, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Music education is a predominantly female occupation; however while women dominate the ranks of elementary and choral education they lose representation as grade level increases. In addition sex-role segregation within the field is also evidenced by the domination of males in the areas of instrumental and jazz music education. As with other areas of post-secondary education, females have made gains and now occupy 43% of music faculty positions, however it may be that the males and females...
Show moreMusic education is a predominantly female occupation; however while women dominate the ranks of elementary and choral education they lose representation as grade level increases. In addition sex-role segregation within the field is also evidenced by the domination of males in the areas of instrumental and jazz music education. As with other areas of post-secondary education, females have made gains and now occupy 43% of music faculty positions, however it may be that the males and females have gender specific sex-roles. Due to the specific, gendered nature of voice parts, it may be that applied voice teacher training programs would have an equal distribution of females (sopranos, mezzo-sopranos, contraltos) and males (counter-tenors, tenors, baritone, basses). The distribution of the sexes within the career field may affect hiring practices, promotions, and access to administrative positions thereby mitigating sex inequalities and sex-role biases which exist in other areas of post-secondary education. This study was an initial step investigating biological sex and authority as they relate to applied voice teachers in four-year institutions in the United States. Voice-teaching was found to be a predominantly female occupation with men and women holding a near equal number of full-time professor status positions. Upon closer examination, sex-role stratification within the field may be evidenced. For example, the proportion of males increased as faculty rank increased while the proportion of females decreased as faculty rank increased. There also seemed to be sex-role stratification with regard to specific teaching responsibilities held by males and females. The reasons for these differences are explored.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0468
Format: Thesis

Title: It Strategy and Web-Based Transaction Technology in Small Organizations.
Creator: Posey, Risette, Berry, Frances Stokes, Barrilleaux, Charles, Brower, Ralph, Klay, William Earle, School of Public Administration and Policy, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This study was undertaken to examine the extent to which web-based transaction technology has diffused in small North Florida nonprofit organizations and to study what, if any, relationship exists between the adoption of web-based transaction technology and the adoption of other technologies in these organizations. The study also examined the nature and frequency of strategic technology planning in these organizations, and their relationship to the adoption of web-based transaction technology...
Show moreThis study was undertaken to examine the extent to which web-based transaction technology has diffused in small North Florida nonprofit organizations and to study what, if any, relationship exists between the adoption of web-based transaction technology and the adoption of other technologies in these organizations. The study also examined the nature and frequency of strategic technology planning in these organizations, and their relationship to the adoption of web-based transaction technology. This work is important and necessary as a means of understanding how popular, useful, and potentially powerful technologies are introduced and used in small organizations, to understand what, if any, technological complexities may be associated with the adoption of this potentially powerful technology. We also seek to understand the different formal and informal means by which these nonprofit organizations consider, then move to introduce and set permanently into organizational habit patterns, new technologies.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0467
Format: Thesis

Title: Multiband Models for Colossal Magnetoresistance Materials and Diluted Magnetic Semiconductors.
Creator: Popescu, Florentin, Bonesteel, Professor N., Dalal, Professor N., Xiong, Professor P., Piekarewicz, Professor J., Chiorescu, Professor I., Department of Physics, Florida State...
Show morePopescu, Florentin, Bonesteel, Professor N., Dalal, Professor N., Xiong, Professor P., Piekarewicz, Professor J., Chiorescu, Professor I., Department of Physics, Florida State University
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Abstract/Description: Several multiband models for Colossal Manetoresistance Materials and Diluted Magnetic Semiconductors are investigated within Dynamical Mean-Field Theory. The theoretical analysis of such models uses extensively the parametrization method for the bare Green's function to study the critical transition temperatures in a wide range of model's parameters; hoping amplitudes, couplings, and carrier concentrations. For both classes of materials, it is found within a two-band model that the transition...
Show moreSeveral multiband models for Colossal Manetoresistance Materials and Diluted Magnetic Semiconductors are investigated within Dynamical Mean-Field Theory. The theoretical analysis of such models uses extensively the parametrization method for the bare Green's function to study the critical transition temperatures in a wide range of model's parameters; hoping amplitudes, couplings, and carrier concentrations. For both classes of materials, it is found within a two-band model that the transition temperature can be twice larger than the one predicted by the one band models and that its maximum is reached at a twice larger carrier concentration. It is also revealed that the off-diagonal hoppings, when considered, lead to a substantial boost of the ferromagnetic transition temperature. By accounting for the attractive Coulomb potential by acceptors in diluted magnetic semiconductors, the impurity to valence band crossover is studied as a function of doping and the critical values of doping, at which the crossover occurs, are estimated for various diluted magnetic semiconductors.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0478
Format: Thesis

Title: Petroleum Analysis by Atmospheric Pressure Photoionization Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry.
Creator: Purcell, Jeremiah Michael, Marshall, Alan, Salters, Vincent, Cooper, William, Logan, Timothy, Rodgers, Ryan, Hendrickson, Christopher, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry,...
Show morePurcell, Jeremiah Michael, Marshall, Alan, Salters, Vincent, Cooper, William, Logan, Timothy, Rodgers, Ryan, Hendrickson, Christopher, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University
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Abstract/Description: Petroleum and petroleum products are an integral part of today's society. Although petroleum is projected to be the dominant energy source for the next fifty years, the depletion of light sweet crude oil reserves has led to the refinement of heavier feedstocks. Heavier petroleum feedstocks contain higher weight percent sulfur-, nitrogen- and oxygen-containing species. Not only is the combustion of these species harmful to the environment, they can also poison catalytic and hydrotreatment...
Show morePetroleum and petroleum products are an integral part of today's society. Although petroleum is projected to be the dominant energy source for the next fifty years, the depletion of light sweet crude oil reserves has led to the refinement of heavier feedstocks. Heavier petroleum feedstocks contain higher weight percent sulfur-, nitrogen- and oxygen-containing species. Not only is the combustion of these species harmful to the environment, they can also poison catalytic and hydrotreatment refining equipment. The United States Environmental Protection agency has limited allowable heteroatom weight percents in petroleum products. Moreover, sulfur is the third most abundant element in petroleum and has been regulated to parts-per-million levels and further reduction slated for the year 2010. To meet the more stringent environmental regulations, refineries are facing major challenges. Mass spectrometry has proven to be a valuable tool for the molecular speciation of petroleum. Notably, electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry has proven invaluable for the speciation of the polar compounds in crude oil. This analysis has added to the understanding of specific refinery problems, e.g., solid deposition and flocculation. However, hydrocarbons and non-polar sulfur species are not accessible by ESI mass spectrometry. Atmospheric Pressure PhotoIonization (APPI) can produce ions from non-polar (and polar) species. Chapter 1 is a brief discussion of basic ICR principles, APPI pathways, instrumentation and data analysis. In Chapter 2, I describe an APPI source coupled to the in house built 9.4 Tesla Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) in Tallahassee, Florida. This chapter highlights the complexity of crude oil analysis with an APPI source. The possibility of forming two ion types (protonated compounds and radical molecular ions) from one compound complicates an already complex spectrum. Model compound spectra demonstrate the necessity of ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry to resolve common mass doublets (3.4 mDa, the mass difference between C3 vs. SH4; 4.5 mDa, the mass difference between 12CH and 13C) found in petroleum spectra. Also, this report establishes the highest number of resolved (and assigned elemental formulas) spectral peaks (>12,000 peaks in a single mass spectrum and up to 63 peaks of the same nominal mass) in one mass spectrum.12,000 peaks in a single mass spectrum and up to 63 peaks of the same nominal mass) in one mass spectrum. Although APPI is considered to be a soft ionization technique, the analyte is nebulized and heated before ion formation. On the other hand, ESI is a well established soft ionization process. Therefore, in Chapter 3, I compare ESI and APPI data from the same crude oil and also pyridinic and pyrrolic nitrogen model compounds. The chapter defines instrument parameters which can cause fragmentation (loss of H2) and parameters which do not. ESI and APPI crude oil spectra yield the same elemental species, providing evidence that APPI can produce an ion population without fragmentation. A dopant (proton donor) is advantageous for APPI mass spectrometry because proton transfer reactions are enhanced. For simple mixture analysis, the proton donor is predominantly the dopant. However, for complex mixture analysis (crude oil), the solution matrix can contain species which could also participate in proton transfer reactions. In Chapter 4, I investigate the proton transfer reaction for a Canadian bitumen petroleum in deuterated toluene (C7D8). Nitrogen class compounds are also analyzed in deuterated toluene. The dopant percent contribution to the even-electron ions (protonated and deuterated compounds) of the petroleum is ~5 %. The nitrogen model compounds exhibited a similar trend. Petrochemical analysis commonly employs the saturates-aromatic-resins-asphaltenes (SARA) separation method. In Chapter 5, the sulfur containing compounds of a Middle East crude oil are speciated. The crude oil is additionally fractionated by the SARA method and its fractions are analyzed by APPI FT-ICR mass spectrometry. Molecular species from the whole crude oil and its fractions are compared to ascertain differences and similarities between sulfur species in the fractions. Non-polar sulfur species are not efficiently ionized by ESI. However, derivatization chemistry can methylate polycyclic aromatic sulfur species and form cations in solution with subsequent analysis by ESI mass spectrometry. In Chapter 6, the derivatized and non-derivatized samples of a petroleum vacuum bottom residue (the highest boiling point fraction of petroleum and hence, the most complex heteroatom content) are analyzed by ESI and APPI. Significant differences in the double bond equivalent values (DBE, value equal to the number of rings plus double bonds in the molecular structure calculated from the elemental formula) between the ESI and APPI analyzed sulfur species are identified. Furthermore, this report provides data that probes APPI ionization efficiency. Chapter 7 is a synopsis of the APPI technology applied to petroleum analysis. The chapter also includes a real world application of APPI FT-ICR mass spectrometry. The Institute of Petroleum at France (IFP) is interested in the development of new hydroconversion processes to upgrade vacuum bottom residue to more useful petroleum products. A substantial fraction of vacuum bottom residue is the asphaltenes; the most heteroatom rich fraction in petroleum. The chapter presents molecular speciation from intermediate stages of a hydroconversion process; a first step in hydroconversion catalytic technology improvement. A Ph.D. thesis may also include research outside the scope of the primary dissertation research to achieve a broader understanding of the sciences. Appendix A describes the ongoing construction and adaptation of an ion cluster source to an existing FT-ICR mass spectrometer. The primary investigator is Professor Harry Kroto, Nobel prize laureate for the discovery of fullerenes. Fullerenes are closed cage molecules consisting of 12 pentagonal and several hexagonal rings. Fullerenes with 60 carbon atoms or larger follow the isolated pentagon rule (IPR). Smaller fullerenes ( In appendix B, the reaction products of C60 and hydrogen at high temperature and pressure are resolved and identified. The product species formed at elevated temperature and hydrogen pressure are characterized by APPI FT-ICR mass spectrometry. Only the APPI analysis (and Field Desorption, FD) were accomplished at Florida State University and the first report (of three published reports) is presented.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0477
Format: Thesis

Title: Microwave Radiative Transfer Modeling of Ice in the Atmosphere: A Critical Examination of Cloud Ice Utilizing Remote Sensing.
Creator: Zuiderweg, Adriaan T., Liu, Guosheng, Ruscher, Paul, Kim, KwangYul, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Tropospheric cloud ice has a significant impact on the earth's radiative balance and climate, and to help improve the ability to forecast short-term through climatological-scale weather, the importance of quantification of these ice particles is not to be underestimated. To that end, the study presented here describes an attempt to accomplish large spatial-scale integrated ice water quantity (known as ice water path) retrieval via remote sensing in the microwave band (80-300GHz), where...
Show moreTropospheric cloud ice has a significant impact on the earth's radiative balance and climate, and to help improve the ability to forecast short-term through climatological-scale weather, the importance of quantification of these ice particles is not to be underestimated. To that end, the study presented here describes an attempt to accomplish large spatial-scale integrated ice water quantity (known as ice water path) retrieval via remote sensing in the microwave band (80-300GHz), where effects from ice crystals become detectable via scattering of terrestrial radiation. At the heart of this study is the use of a radiative transfer model in conjunction with data from surface-based instrumentation to simulate atmospheric brightness temperatures at microwave frequencies, and to compare the simulated results to observational data from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit - B instrument on the NOAA-15 polar orbiting platform. However, this cannot be done without first discussing the nature of ice crystals in the atmosphere and the scattering modes that result from their interaction with energy, and the implementation of approximations thereof for model usage. Case studies are performed using the model to establish the sensitivity and behavior of the model under differing conditions, and these are compared to real-world data. Subsequently ice water path retrieval from satellite data utilizing Bayesian theory is attempted, with somewhat limited success, and the results hereof are discussed. Finally, known error sources are examined with possibilities for improvement, and ideas for future work in the field presented.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0476
Format: Thesis

Title: Metabolic and Behavioral Effects of Zinc Deficiency in Rats.
Creator: Evans, Stephanie Anne, Levenson, Cathy W., Overton, J. Michael, Ouimet, Charles, Department of Nutrition, Food, and Exercise Science, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Disruptions in the regulation of food intake and metabolism can result in obesity or anorexia. It is clear that zinc deficiency results in anorexia and previous research suggests the existence of alterations in energy efficiency and metabolism. Zinc deficiency results in changes in neuropeptides that regulate energy intake and expenditure. Numerous diagnostic conditions also result in anorexia and wasting, similar to that of zinc deficiency. However, the mechanism underlying these...
Show moreDisruptions in the regulation of food intake and metabolism can result in obesity or anorexia. It is clear that zinc deficiency results in anorexia and previous research suggests the existence of alterations in energy efficiency and metabolism. Zinc deficiency results in changes in neuropeptides that regulate energy intake and expenditure. Numerous diagnostic conditions also result in anorexia and wasting, similar to that of zinc deficiency. However, the mechanism underlying these abnormalities remains unknown, and the behavioral and metabolic effects of zinc deficiency have not been fully established. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to fully characterize the behavioral and metabolic consequences of zinc deficiency and its association with anxiety, and to suggest mechanisms underlying the anorexia associated with zinc deficiency and other clinical conditions. Despite differences in locomotor activity between zinc deficient(ZD, zinc, ad lib) and pair-fed (PF, 28 ppm zinc, amount consumed by ZD), there were no differences in MR, RQ or BMR. This suggests a greater metabolic cost of activity may exist in ZD. Contrary to previous studies, this work shows a decrease in consummatory food intake with zinc deficiency without evidence of alterations in appetitive motivational behaviors. This suggests that zinc deficiency alters the hedonic impact of food reward, but not the motivation to seek food. The data presented here also suggests an anxiogenic effect associated with zinc deficiency, which may be involved in the hedonic changes in food intake. Furthermore, this work suggests that alterations of the opioid reward system may be involved in the anorexia and anxiety-like behaviors produced by zinc deficiency.
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Date Issued: 2003
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0436
Format: Thesis

Title: Assessing the Impact of Website Domain on End-User Evaluations of Web Page Aesthetics Using an Immediate Aesthetic Perception Technique.
Creator: Doddington, Forrest Alan, Adams, Jonathan, Cortese, Juliann, Heald, Gary, School of Communication, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This study investigated the 'immediate aesthetic impression' method of quantifying the perception of attractiveness of several website designs. This study replicates and expands an existing line of research that investigates a method of measuring end-user's "first impression" evaluations of web page attractiveness. Emphasis is placed on evaluating the potential influence of website domain on end-user perception of website visual aesthetics. A snowball technique was used to contact and enroll...
Show moreThis study investigated the 'immediate aesthetic impression' method of quantifying the perception of attractiveness of several website designs. This study replicates and expands an existing line of research that investigates a method of measuring end-user's "first impression" evaluations of web page attractiveness. Emphasis is placed on evaluating the potential influence of website domain on end-user perception of website visual aesthetics. A snowball technique was used to contact and enroll 184 participants. The participants were asked to evaluate 24 website screen images that represented four website domain categories (commerce, entertainment, government, and religious/non-profit). The results suggest that web domain can be, but is not always, a factor in the perception of website aesthetics. Comparing the average attractiveness rating between an experimental and a control group, websites in the Government domain showed a higher average attractiveness rating from the participants who were aware of the web domain they were viewing. The results also confirm prior findings and show that aesthetic perceptions are formed very quickly and held largely consistent upon repeated exposure to the same website screen image. Response latency continues to show promise as an inherent, objective confirmatory variable, with some limitations on proper experimental design when gathering latency data. This study provides further evidence supporting the repeatability and generalizability of the 'immediate aesthetic perception' measurement method and new findings about the relationship between web domain and perceived website aesthetics.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0435
Format: Thesis

Title: Effects of Spatial Visualization and Achievement on Students' Use of Multiple Representations.
Creator: Erbilgin, Evrim, Fernandez, Maria L., Jakubowski, Elizabeth M., Aspinwall, Leslie N., Department of Middle and Secondary Education, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Recently, there has been a growing interest in research on students' use of multiple representations in mathematics education. This study focused on how and achievement affect students' use of multiple representations. The methodology used was case studies. The researcher conducted 16 interviews with four 8th grade students from the same regular mathematics class: one high achieving-high spatial ability, one high achieving-low spatial ability, one low achieving-high spatial ability, and one...
Show moreRecently, there has been a growing interest in research on students' use of multiple representations in mathematics education. This study focused on how and achievement affect students' use of multiple representations. The methodology used was case studies. The researcher conducted 16 interviews with four 8th grade students from the same regular mathematics class: one high achieving-high spatial ability, one high achieving-low spatial ability, one low achieving-high spatial ability, and one low achieving-low spatial ability. The students were asked linear equation and function problems requiring the use of different representations. Additionally, the mathematics class was observed for 7 hours. The Wheatley Spatial Ability test was applied to the class of 8th graders to determine the spatial ability levels of the students. The students' achievement levels were determined from students' Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores, linear equation class exam scores, and consultation with the teacher. The findings suggest that both achievement and spatial visualization has effects on students' use of multiple representations.
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Date Issued: 2003
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0431
Format: Thesis

Title: Confessional Poetry and Blog Culture in the Age of Autobiography.
Creator: Price, Deidre Dowling, Epstein, Andrew, Kalbian, Aline, Yancey, Kathleen Blake, Outka, Paul, Edwards, Leigh, Department of English, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: M. L. Rosenthal's 1959 labeling of Robert Lowell's Life Studies as "Confessional," initiated a debate about the literary value of autobiographical writing. At the center of this controversy was the taboo subject matter explored by the confessional poets: madness, sexuality, alcoholism, depression, and suicide. Another form of autobiographical writing which similarly polarizes audience despite being born in 1999 is the blog. In this study, I explore various shared traits between confessional...
Show moreM. L. Rosenthal's 1959 labeling of Robert Lowell's Life Studies as "Confessional," initiated a debate about the literary value of autobiographical writing. At the center of this controversy was the taboo subject matter explored by the confessional poets: madness, sexuality, alcoholism, depression, and suicide. Another form of autobiographical writing which similarly polarizes audience despite being born in 1999 is the blog. In this study, I explore various shared traits between confessional poems of the 1960s and modern-day personal blogs and aim to demonstrate how we might read them both as part of the larger conversation about the culture of confession and the age of autobiography. This dissertation looks closely at works by three confessional poets, all of whose writing have recently experienced resurgence in popular culture—John Berryman, Sylvia Plath, and Anne Sexton—and draws a parallel between characteristic traits in their works and contemporary blogging practices. I borrow Berryman's "Henry" from Dream Songs to illuminate the similarities between a poetic persona and an online avatar and argue that Berryman's broken syntax foreshadows the fragmentation of language at work in modern-day blogs. I regard Plath's contemporary cult following as an indicator of her acute audience awareness and explore how various Plath poems function as highly performative works of art intended to elicit a desired effect from readers. I compare Sexton's writing about taboo marital and maternal subjects to the recent phenomenon of mommyblogging and explain how Sexton's subversive poems paved the way for later women to engage in open, unapologetic life writing in blog communities. Ultimately, I argue for the reading of personal blogs as cultural artifacts and for the consideration of confessional blogs as a remediated American literary genre.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0450
Format: Thesis

Title: Blogging and Identity: An Examination of an Elementary Preservice Art Education Curriculum.
Creator: Price, Audra, Anderson, Tom, Wood, Susan, Villeneuve, Pat, Orr, Penny, Department of Art Education, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This study focused on the need for an increased understanding of the experiences of preservice elementary educators and their respective abilities to define culture, identity, and the politics of representation in a technologically centered world by responding to culturally challenging and politically laden images and media. The experience under study focused on pre-service elementary educators enrolled in an arts methods class and understanding their abilities to perceive, process, and...
Show moreThis study focused on the need for an increased understanding of the experiences of preservice elementary educators and their respective abilities to define culture, identity, and the politics of representation in a technologically centered world by responding to culturally challenging and politically laden images and media. The experience under study focused on pre-service elementary educators enrolled in an arts methods class and understanding their abilities to perceive, process, and respond to visual media on a blog. Throughout this process, I assessed the individual's understanding of multicultural concerns as it related to the Internet, museum, and online discussions, with implications for teaching and learning in art and museum education. I utilized Anderson and Milbrandt's (2005) analytic critical model with Banks' (1991) value-inquiry model in order to assess students' abilities to critically analyze challenging material while investigating blogging and asynchronous methods of communication as a strategy for addressing these issues. In this study, I reveal how students negotiated, shared, and constructed multiple aspects of their identities in order to understand their roles in addressing diversity in their future classrooms. Students completed a curriculum designed to help them describe, analyze, interpret, and judge material that highlights aspects of their classmates' cultural identities. Students first created a personal blog that revealed their cultural identity, posted and responded to a classroom communal blog that reflected material that challenged an aspect of their cultural identity, and then responded to online surveys that revealed various aspects of their cultural identity while reflecting on the meanings they generated throughout this study. What I found was that students developed a greater awareness of their personal value systems as a student, friend, and/or family member. They focused on the beliefs they thought they needed in order to address culturally challenging material in their future classrooms. This study also helped students understand the process of transformation: where they came from, where they are presently, and how they see their beliefs impacting the type of learning environment they will create for their students in the future.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0449
Format: Thesis

Title: Two Essays on the Post-Earnings-Announcement Drift Anomaly: Information Content and Uncertainty.
Creator: Price, Steven Mckay, Peterson, David R., Sirmans, Clemon F., Doran, James S., Department of Finance, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This dissertation examines the post-earnings-announcement drift in two essays. In the first essay, computer aided content analysis is used to examine the incremental informativeness of quarterly earnings conference calls for earnings announcement window abnormal returns as well as the post-earnings-announcement drift. We find that conference call linguistic tone is a significant predictor of cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) in both the initial reaction and drift windows. Furthermore,...
Show moreThis dissertation examines the post-earnings-announcement drift in two essays. In the first essay, computer aided content analysis is used to examine the incremental informativeness of quarterly earnings conference calls for earnings announcement window abnormal returns as well as the post-earnings-announcement drift. We find that conference call linguistic tone is a significant predictor of cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) in both the initial reaction and drift windows. Furthermore, conference call tone dominates earnings surprises over the longer period. Holding unexpected earnings constant, portfolios formed based on differences in call tone have CARs that are significantly different from one another. Returns for calls with a highly positive tone and a poor earnings surprise are essentially unaffected by the negative numerical signal, suggesting that new information is coming to light in the conference call discussion. Call tone matters more for dividend paying firms, illustrating differences in investor behavior based on the level of cash flow uncertainty. Additionally, we find that a context specific linguistic dictionary is more powerful than a more widely used general dictionary (Harvard IV-4 Psychosocial). The second essay is the first study to examine the post-earnings-announcement drift anomaly in a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) context. The efficient markets hypothesis suggests that unexpected earnings should be fully incorporated into asset prices soon after being publicly announced. We hypothesize that publicly announced earnings signals may be more certain for REITs due to the presence of a parallel (private) asset market, suggesting less drift for REIT stocks. However, we find a large REIT drift component that is both statistically and economically significant. Furthermore, while the initial earnings surprise response is more muted for REITs, we find that the magnitude of the drift is significantly larger for REITs than for ordinary common stocks (NonREITs). Thus, information does not appear to move between the private and public asset markets in such a way as to render REIT earnings signals more certain than NonREIT earnings signals.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0451
Format: Thesis

Title: Comparing Generic and Passage-Specific Assessments of Vocabulary and Fluency as Predictors of Reading Comprehension in Narrative and Expository Passages.
Creator: Priya, Kanu, Wagner, Richard K., Kelly, Colleen, Sunderman, Gretchen, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Previous research has investigated vocabulary and fluency as predictors of reading comprehension, most of it concentrating on younger school-age readers. The present study compared both passage-specific and generic assessments of vocabulary and fluency as predictors of reading comprehension in college-age readers. The comparison was done for both standardized tasks and experimental tasks and for expository and narrative text types. The study also investigated the effect of text type and...
Show morePrevious research has investigated vocabulary and fluency as predictors of reading comprehension, most of it concentrating on younger school-age readers. The present study compared both passage-specific and generic assessments of vocabulary and fluency as predictors of reading comprehension in college-age readers. The comparison was done for both standardized tasks and experimental tasks and for expository and narrative text types. The study also investigated the effect of text type and question type (inferential and non-inferential) on reading comprehension. Seventy eight college-age readers completed a battery of reading comprehension, vocabulary and fluency tests. The results of the study reveal an interaction between passage type and question type on comprehension performance with students performing better on inferential questions for narrative texts, and on non-inferential questions for expository texts. Furthermore, vocabulary was found to be a better predictor of reading comprehension than fluency for both standardized and experimental tasks.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0462
Format: Thesis

Title: The Effects of Music Therapy and Relaxation Prior to Breastfeeding on the Anxiety of New Mothers and the Behavior State of Their Infants during Feeding.
Creator: Procelli, Danielle Elizabeth, Standley, Jayne M., Madsen, Clifford, Gregory, Dianne, College of Music, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This study examined the effects of music therapy and relaxation techniques with first time mothers who were breastfeeding. Dependent variables were behavior state of the mother during breastfeeding, behavior state of the infant during breastfeeding, the mother's self-reported perception of anxiety and relaxation during breastfeeding, and the mother's perception of breastfeeding and her use of music one week post discharge. Subjects were sixty (N=60) women who had chosen breastfeeding as their...
Show moreThis study examined the effects of music therapy and relaxation techniques with first time mothers who were breastfeeding. Dependent variables were behavior state of the mother during breastfeeding, behavior state of the infant during breastfeeding, the mother's self-reported perception of anxiety and relaxation during breastfeeding, and the mother's perception of breastfeeding and her use of music one week post discharge. Subjects were sixty (N=60) women who had chosen breastfeeding as their preferred feeding method for their infant. Between 24-48 hours after giving birth to their infant, subjects were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (N=30) who received music therapy prior to breastfeeding or a no music control group (N=30). Results showed a statistically significant difference between the behavior-state of the mothers during their breastfeeding attempt. The experimental group displayed significantly less anxiety-related behaviors and more behaviors associated with relaxation and comfort. There was no significant difference between the behavior-state of the infants during breastfeeding. Data from self-report surveys revealed that mothers in the experimental music group reported feeling significantly more relaxed and less anxious after breastfeeding in the hospital then did the control group. No significant difference was found between groups based on mothers' perceptions of breastfeeding one week post hospital discharge. Additional data were collected for further analysis and implications are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0463
Format: Thesis

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