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Title: Natural, Civilized, Citizen: Dickens's Characters and Rousseau's Philosophy.
Creator: Phares, Jane, Fenstermaker, John, Jumonville, Neil, Standley, Fred, Walker, Eric, Department of English, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This dissertation presents evidence, using the vehicle of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's philosophy, that Charles Dickens remained an optimist, contrary to critical opinion that claims he became a dark pessimist during the latter half of his life. Rousseau and Dickens shared a belief in the innate goodness of humankind and, if not in the perfectibility of humanity, at least in the redemption and possibility of betterment both of the individual, and through the individual, of society. Critical...
Show moreThis dissertation presents evidence, using the vehicle of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's philosophy, that Charles Dickens remained an optimist, contrary to critical opinion that claims he became a dark pessimist during the latter half of his life. Rousseau and Dickens shared a belief in the innate goodness of humankind and, if not in the perfectibility of humanity, at least in the redemption and possibility of betterment both of the individual, and through the individual, of society. Critical connections between the two writers are examined in Chapter 1: "A Review of the Literature." In one of his early discourses, The Origins of Inequality, Rousseau posits hypothetically that in the early stages of human development, the "natural man" existed in a state of peace and tranquillity; his identifying characteristics were self satisfaction (in Rousseau's terms, amour de soi), contentment with only the material goods necessary to sustain himself, genuineness, a self concept based on his own inner evaluative system, innocence (freedom from vice), and most notably, compassion for other human beings. When humans began to gather in groups and form societies, they evolved from natural men into "civilized men," thus developing pride (amour propre), a competitive nature, greed, pretension, a self concept determined by others, immoral and/or illegal behaviors, a lack of compassion. In the more mature writings of Rousseau he acknowledges that a return to nature is impossible, and that the only hope for the redemption of society is individual transformation, by which the individual retains or regains natural characteristics and exhibits them within the confines of society. The person who achieves this type of life is the "citizen" as presented in Rousseau's The Social Contract. While these are the works of Rousseau in which he presents the typology, he also portrays the same characteristics in Ãmile, Julie, and his first discourse. Evidence and illustrations of these types are presented in Chapter 2: "Rousseau's Philosophy: The Relevant Principles." In this study, characters in Dickens are measured by the sets of characteristics set forth by Rousseau. In each of the novels under discussion (Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, Martin Chuzzlewit, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Great Expectations, and Our Mutual Friend), at least one character represents each of the three types, natural man, civilized man, and citizen. One character per novel is presented in each of three chapters here (Chapter 3: "Dickens's Natural Man"; Chapter 4: "Dickens's Civilized Man"; and Chapter 5: "Dickens's Citizen"), with references to relevant others. For each character, evidence is presented to show that he or she displays all the characteristics of the particular type. In addition, in Chapter 6: "Geographical Significance: The Country vs. the City" the role of geography in the natural/civilized dichotomy is discussed. Rousseau believed that rural life (i.e., life in the country, away from the city and large numbers of people) is more conducive to one's remaining natural; city life, on the other hand, leads to corruption and the development of civilized characteristics, due to one's proximity to others. Dickens's novels contain a similar sentiment, although as both Dickens and Rousseau concluded, life in the country (in "nature") becomes less and less possible with the advance of civilization, so one's only choice is to become citizens, living naturally within the city. Taking into consideration the survival of natural characters throughout Dickens's literary corpus, as well as an increase in the number of redeemed characters (albeit in a civilized setting), conclusions are drawn that Dickens did not lose his optimism toward the end of his life; in fact, he presents the survival of natural goodness as possible in spite of the corruptive forces of civilization. Like Rousseau, Dickens ultimately reinforces not only humankind's innate goodness, but also its resilience and adaptability.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-1964
Format: Thesis

Title: Numerical Methods for Deterministic and Stochastic Nonlocal Problem in Diffusion and Mechanics.
Creator: Chen, Xi, Gunzburger, Max, Wang, Xiaoming, Peterson, Janet, Wang, Xiaoqiang, Ye, Ming, Burkardt, John, Department of Scientific Computing, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: In this dissertation, the recently developed peridynamic nonlocal continuum model for solid mechanics is extensively studied, specifically, the numerical methods for the deterministic and stochastic steady-state peridynamics models. In contrast to the classical partial differential equation models, peridynamic model is an integro-differential equation that does not involve spatial derivatives of the displacement field. As a result, the peridynamic model admits solutions having jump...
Show moreIn this dissertation, the recently developed peridynamic nonlocal continuum model for solid mechanics is extensively studied, specifically, the numerical methods for the deterministic and stochastic steady-state peridynamics models. In contrast to the classical partial differential equation models, peridynamic model is an integro-differential equation that does not involve spatial derivatives of the displacement field. As a result, the peridynamic model admits solutions having jump discontinuities so that it has been successfully applied to the fracture problems. This dissentation consists of three major parts. The first part focuses on the one-dimensional steady-state peridynamics model. Based on a variational formulation, continuous and discontinuous Galerkin finite element methods are developed for the peridynamic model. Optimal convergence rates for different continuous and discontinuous manufactured solutions are obtained. A strategy for identifying the discontinuities of the solution is developed and implemented. The convergence of peridynamics model to classical elasticity model is studied. Some relevant nonlocal problems are also considered. In the second part, we focus on the two-dimensional steady-state peridynamics model. Based on the numerical strategies and results from the one-dimensional peridynamics model, we developed and implemented the corresponding approaches for the two-dimensional case. Optimal convergence rates for different continuous and discontinuous manufactured solutions are obtained. In the third part, we study the stochastic peridynamics model. We focus on a version of peridynamics model whose forcing terms are described by a finite-dimensional random vector, which is often called the finite-dimensional noise assumption. Monte Carlo methods, stochastic collocation with full tensor product and sparse grid methods based on this stochastic peridynamics model are implemented and compared.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-4753
Format: Thesis

Title: Physical Properties of Novel Magnetic Heterostructures.
Creator: Dzero, Maxim O., Gor'kov, L. P., Dalal, N., Dobrosavljević, V., Piekarewicz, J., Department of Physics, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: There is an ongoing interest in studying the novel magnetic systems, such as magnetoresistance structures (GMR), magnetic dilute semiconductors and various magnetic nanostructures. In the first part of my dissertation I present the results of our work concerning the possibility of using ferromagnetic metallic manganites as basic elements for various GMR heterostructures. I start by studying the phase diagram of maganites using the general band approach. As it turns out, the basic properties...
Show moreThere is an ongoing interest in studying the novel magnetic systems, such as magnetoresistance structures (GMR), magnetic dilute semiconductors and various magnetic nanostructures. In the first part of my dissertation I present the results of our work concerning the possibility of using ferromagnetic metallic manganites as basic elements for various GMR heterostructures. I start by studying the phase diagram of maganites using the general band approach. As it turns out, the basic properties of the maganites to a large extent are determined by cooperative Jahn-Teller effects and the Hund's rule coupling. The transition from insulating antiferromagnetic to metallic ferromagnet state at critical doping concentration Xcr is treated by means of the percolation theory.
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Date Issued: 2003
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0612
Format: Thesis

Title: The Photographic Essay as Index of African-American Identity in the Interwar Years: "Black Saturday," Roll, Jordan, Roll, You Have Seen Their Faces, and 12 Million Black Voices.
Creator: Watson, Keri W., Neuman, Robert, Roberts, Diane, Weingarden, Lauren, Jolles, Adam, Department of Art History, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This dissertation examines the intersecting space between word and image that characterizes the photographic essay as a distinct medium. To illustrate the power negotiations that occur in the interstices of word and image, this dissertation applies art critic Elizabeth McCausland's 1943 theory of the genre to four Depression-era photographic essays concerned with African-American life: Eudora Welty's "Black Saturday," Julia Peterkin and Doris Ulmann's Roll, Jordan, Roll (1933); Erskine...
Show moreThis dissertation examines the intersecting space between word and image that characterizes the photographic essay as a distinct medium. To illustrate the power negotiations that occur in the interstices of word and image, this dissertation applies art critic Elizabeth McCausland's 1943 theory of the genre to four Depression-era photographic essays concerned with African-American life: Eudora Welty's "Black Saturday," Julia Peterkin and Doris Ulmann's Roll, Jordan, Roll (1933); Erskine Caldwell and Margaret Bourke-White's You Have Seen Their Faces (1937); and Richard Wright and Edwin Rosskam's 12 Million Black Voices (1941). By examining these photo-texts created and published during the interwar years, I hope to parse the medium-specificity of both the genre's constitutive parts (the photograph and the text) while also respecting the hybrid form (one marked by struggle rather than equality) that their combination creates. Investigation of these photographic essays within this theoretical framework and in the context of 1930s publishing practices illustrates the power of the photographic essay to construct racial identities and broadens the critical understanding of the compelling yet confusing genre that is the photographic essay.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-4660
Format: Thesis

Title: Neoconservatism and Iraq.
Creator: McHargue, Ryan Patrick, Garretson, Peter P., Jones, James P., Friedman, Max, Department of History, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The goal of this work is to answer a specific set of questions that have arisen concerning neoconservatism and its relationship with the 2003 invasion of Iraq. This thesis will begin by first giving the reader a broad background concerning the neoconservative movement, and aid in proving the assumptions necessary for the argument to be made. After showing that neoconservatism is in fact the "order of the day" for the Bush Administration's foreign policy staff, and proving that the...
Show moreThe goal of this work is to answer a specific set of questions that have arisen concerning neoconservatism and its relationship with the 2003 invasion of Iraq. This thesis will begin by first giving the reader a broad background concerning the neoconservative movement, and aid in proving the assumptions necessary for the argument to be made. After showing that neoconservatism is in fact the "order of the day" for the Bush Administration's foreign policy staff, and proving that the administration has espoused modern neoconservative policies, the role of Iraq in a neoconservative framework will be focused upon. This includes identifying and expounding upon key tenets of a neoconservative ideological framework and where Iraq fits within it. Once Iraq's place within this framework is determined, this work will examine the statements of specific neoconservatives within the Bush administration who have written extensively concerning Iraq during the period between the end of the 1991 Persian Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. By examining their words, it will be determined whether or not they were advocates of the invasion in 2003 prior to the events of September 11, 2001, which served as a pretext and justification for the invasion itself. By understanding the role of Iraq in a neoconservative framework, it is hoped that people will be able to better predict the possible outcomes of the conflict. It is important to note that this thesis was drafted in the early part of 2005, prior to the position changes of many of the executive officers mentioned. For example, Paul Wolfowitz has recently been given the position of head of the World Bank, Douglas Feith has since resigned his post as Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, and Zalmay Khalilzad has been given the position of Ambassador to Iraq, replacing John Negroponte, who filled the position of the newly-created office of Director of National Intelligence.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-2548
Format: Thesis

Title: Network Analysis of Animal Space-Use Patterns.
Creator: Downs, Joni A., Horner, Mark W., Chicken, Eric, Stallins, J. Anthony, Elsner, James B., Department of Geography, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Home range analysis involves characterizing the spatial extent that an animal occupies from sample points that record its location periodically over time. Kernel density estimation (KDE) is currently the most widely applied and accepted method of home range estimation, although several authors have recently questioned its use for this purpose, citing instances when it performed poorly for certain types of point distributions. The first part of this dissertation provides a critical evaluation...
Show moreHome range analysis involves characterizing the spatial extent that an animal occupies from sample points that record its location periodically over time. Kernel density estimation (KDE) is currently the most widely applied and accepted method of home range estimation, although several authors have recently questioned its use for this purpose, citing instances when it performed poorly for certain types of point distributions. The first part of this dissertation provides a critical evaluation of KDE in the context of home range estimation from a geographic information science (GIScience) perspective. First, the accuracy of KDE as a home range estimator is tested using simulated animal locational data that conform to different shapes. Because those results suggest that KDE is not robust to point pattern shape, the method then is examined in the context of its underlying statistical and spatial assumptions. This review reveals that KDE implicitly assumes that the point locations used in the analysis were generated by a stationary, Euclidean-based process. As point locations for home range analysis are derived from an animal's continuous movement trajectory through space, a nonstationary, network-based process, application of KDE to home range analysis is in violation of the technique's underlying assumptions. This leads to the conclusion that KDE is inappropriate for home range estimation. The second part of this dissertation then develops and explores an alternative method of density estimation that assumes network-based rather than Euclidean-based space usage: network-based kernel density estimation (NKDE). NKDE is applied to wildlife-vehicle collision data for illustration. Because animal locational data are generated by a network based process, NKDE is extended to estimate wildlife home ranges. Then, NKDE is applied to the same point pattern data of different shapes used to evaluate KDE. The results suggest that NKDE performs much more accurately as a home range estimator than traditional KDE.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0680
Format: Thesis

Title: Neurobiological Consequences of Fluoxetine Exposure during Adolescence.
Creator: Iñiguez, Sergio Diaz, Bolaños-Guzmán, Carlos A., Gunjan, Akash, Wang, Zuoxin, Kabbaj, Mohamed, Kistner, Janet, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Little is known regarding the mechanisms underlying the neurobiological consequences of antidepressant exposure during adolescence. Therefore, in this dissertation, I assessed the long-lasting effects of adolescent exposure to Fluoxetine (FLX), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, on behavioral reactivity to emotion-eliciting stimuli in adulthood using rodent animal models. To do this, in chapters two and three, male Sprague-Dawley rats and c57BL/6 mice are exposed to FLX throughout...
Show moreLittle is known regarding the mechanisms underlying the neurobiological consequences of antidepressant exposure during adolescence. Therefore, in this dissertation, I assessed the long-lasting effects of adolescent exposure to Fluoxetine (FLX), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, on behavioral reactivity to emotion-eliciting stimuli in adulthood using rodent animal models. To do this, in chapters two and three, male Sprague-Dawley rats and c57BL/6 mice are exposed to FLX throughout adolescence (postnatal days 35-49), and tested in adulthood (postnatal day 70+) on a battery of behavioral tasks designed to assess sensitivity to stress- (i.e., forced swimming and the social defeat procedure), and anxiety-inducing situations (i.e., elevated plus-maze, novelty induced hypophagia, and open field test). Because a proposed mechanism by which FLX exerts its therapeutic effect(s) has been linked to the modulation of intracellular signaling pathways involved in the regulation of cell survival, in chapter three, I also assessed how FLX exposure influenced extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK)-signaling within the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the midbrain. The VTA was selected given the role this brain region plays in regulating mood and motivation under normal conditions. FLX exposure during adolescence resulted in an enduring paradoxical behavioral response in which rodents exhibit a stress-resistant behavioral phenotype, along an increase in sensitivity to anxiety-inducing situations. In addition, a persistent decrease in ERK-related signaling was observed within the VTA of rats and mice exposed to FLX. Given that chronic exposure to FLX resulted in an enduring downregulation of ERK signaling, it was imperative to determine whether exposure to stress, a major predisposing factor for depression, would result in oppositional regulation of this signaling pathway. Thus, in chapters three and four I assessed the behavioral and biochemical effects of exposure to stress in adult rats and mice using complementary behavioral, molecular, and gene transfer approaches. Here, exposure to chronic unpredictable stress resulted in depressive-like phenotypes, including a reduced ability to experience pleasure (i.e., anhedonia, as inferred from the sucrose preference test) and increased vulnerability to subsequent stress (i.e., forced swim test and the social defeat procedure). This stress-induced behavioral profile was also accompanied by an increase in ERK and its related signaling within the VTA - biochemical results opposite to those observed after FLX exposure. The functional significance of this oppositional effect was further confirmed using viral vectors: increasing ERK activity within the VTA increased sensitivity, whereas decreasing ERK resulted in decreased sensitivity to stress. Together, the data presented in this dissertation strongly implicate ERK signaling within the VTA as a modulator of behavioral responsivity to stress and antidepressant efficacy in adolescent and adult rodents. Lastly, in chapter five, the potential clinical implications, as well as future directions of this work are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-5718
Format: Thesis

Title: New Strategies for Proteomics and Peptidomics Using Polymer Liquid Crystals for Electrophoresis.
Creator: Al-Sayah, Mohammad Ahmed, Rill, Randolph L., Winkle, David H. Van, Dorsey, John G., Schlenoff, Joseph B., Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Different gel matrices were explored to extend the use of two dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis for peptide analysis. Excellent separations of peptides labeled with the fluorescent dye Cascade Yellow were achieved in one dimension on two gel media: traditional polyacrylamide and reversible liquid crystalline gels of Pluronic F127. Separations on both media depended primarily on size to charge ratio, excepting a few peptides strongly retained by Pluronic F127. A unique 2D gel...
Show moreDifferent gel matrices were explored to extend the use of two dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis for peptide analysis. Excellent separations of peptides labeled with the fluorescent dye Cascade Yellow were achieved in one dimension on two gel media: traditional polyacrylamide and reversible liquid crystalline gels of Pluronic F127. Separations on both media depended primarily on size to charge ratio, excepting a few peptides strongly retained by Pluronic F127. A unique 2D gel electrophoresis system for peptide separation coupled with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for identification was developed. Cascade Yellow succinimidyl ester, an amine-reactive dye, labels the amino-terminus of peptides and the å-amino group of lysines at pH 7-9. Occasional labeling of tyrosine residues was also observed. Specific amino-terminal labeling was achieved at alkaline pH (pH >10) due to the base-lability of the å-amino and the tyrosine adducts. The 2D system utilized 15% polyacrylamide with the basic (pH 8.3) Laemmli buffer system (without SDS) in the first dimension. Pluronic F127 (24%) was used in the second dimension with acidic Tris-ClCH2COOH buffer (pH 3.0). The second dimension in Pluronic F127 was done horizontally with a thin overlayer of buffer to provide direct access to the separated peptides. Due to its semi-fluid nature, Pluronic F127 provided a good interface between the two dimensions so that the peptides migrated smoothly from the first dimension to the second. The peak capacity of the 2D mini-gel system (8x10 cm) was approximately 500. Larger gels are expected to yield a peak capacity of about 2000, competitive with many 2D HPLC methods. MALDI-TOF MS was used to identify peptides in spots directly sipped from gels. Peptide samples with concentrations > 0.5 ìg/ml were directly spotted on MALDI targets and identified without further purification. Small polymer chains contaminating Pluronic F127 started to interfere with the detection of peptides at concentrations 10) due to the base-lability of the å-amino and the tyrosine adducts. The 2D system utilized 15% polyacrylamide with the basic (pH 8.3) Laemmli buffer system (without SDS) in the first dimension. Pluronic F127 (24%) was used in the second dimension with acidic Tris-ClCH2COOH buffer (pH 3.0). The second dimension in Pluronic F127 was done horizontally with a thin overlayer of buffer to provide direct access to the separated peptides. Due to its semi-fluid nature, Pluronic F127 provided a good interface between the two dimensions so that the peptides migrated smoothly from the first dimension to the second. The peak capacity of the 2D mini-gel system (8x10 cm) was approximately 500. Larger gels are expected to yield a peak capacity of about 2000, competitive with many 2D HPLC methods. MALDI-TOF MS was used to identify peptides in spots directly sipped from gels. Peptide samples with concentrations > 0.5 ìg/ml were directly spotted on MALDI targets and identified without further purification. Small polymer chains contaminating Pluronic F127 started to interfere with the detection of peptides at concentrations 0.5 ìg/ml were directly spotted on MALDI targets and identified without further purification. Small polymer chains contaminating Pluronic F127 started to interfere with the detection of peptides at concentrations
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Date Issued: 2004
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0025
Format: Thesis

Title: New Topographics and Generic Transformation in Landscape Photography of the 1970s.
Creator: Higbee, Lauren Gammill, Jolles, Adam, Bearor, Karen, Carrasco, Michael, Department of Art History, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The 1975 exhibition New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape, at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York aimed to redefine the genre of landscape in photography. Curator William Jenkins asserted that the photographs in the show were characterized by documentary style, objective description, and status as document. The characteristics Jenkins identified in new landscape photography were first brought to the public's attention by Nathan Lyons' 1966 exhibition Toward a...
Show moreThe 1975 exhibition New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape, at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York aimed to redefine the genre of landscape in photography. Curator William Jenkins asserted that the photographs in the show were characterized by documentary style, objective description, and status as document. The characteristics Jenkins identified in new landscape photography were first brought to the public's attention by Nathan Lyons' 1966 exhibition Toward a Social Landscape at Eastman House and John Szarkowski's 1967 exhibition New Documents at the Museum of Modern Art. I argue that Jenkins' conception of new landscape photography took part in a growing trend in the 1970s of the theory and criticism of established genres in literature and film. The demythologization of the landscape genre in New Topographics mirrors what film theorist and critic John G. Cawelti described in his 1977 article, "Chinatown and Generic Transformation in Recent American Films," as the demythologization of the genre's founding myth.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-7840
Format: Thesis

Title: Next-to-Leading-Order Corrections to Weak Boson Production with a Massive Quark Jet Pair at Hadron Colliders.
Creator: Febres Cordero, Fernando, Reina, Laura, Aluﬃ, Paolo, Baer, Howard, Prosper, Harrison, Piekarewicz, Jorge, Department of Physics, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: We present the calculation of Next-to-Leading-Order Quantum Chromo Dynamics corrections for the production of W or Z weak bosons associated with a bottom anti-bottom quark pair at hadron colliders (ppbar, pp to W/Z bbbar), including the effects of a non-zero bottom-quark mass. We find a considerable reduction of the renormalization and factorization scale dependence of our results with respect to Leading-Order calculations. In particular, we study the impact of the corrections on the total...
Show moreWe present the calculation of Next-to-Leading-Order Quantum Chromo Dynamics corrections for the production of W or Z weak bosons associated with a bottom anti-bottom quark pair at hadron colliders (ppbar, pp to W/Z bbbar), including the effects of a non-zero bottom-quark mass. We find a considerable reduction of the renormalization and factorization scale dependence of our results with respect to Leading-Order calculations. In particular, we study the impact of the corrections on the total cross section and invariant mass distributions of the bottom anti-bottom quark pair at the Fermilab Tevatron ppbar collider. We perform a detailed comparison with a calculation that considers massless bottom quarks and find significant deviations in regions of phase space with small invariant mass of the bottom anti-bottom quark pair. Our results will be relevant to ongoing and future searches at hadron colliders, as the W/Z bbbar production mode is the main background to important signals, such as light Standard Model Higgs boson production or single top-quark production.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-4486
Format: Thesis

Title: Neural Network Based Prognosis for Twodimensional Tumor-like Growth.
Creator: Rajagopalan, Vidya, Foo, Simon Y., Chandra, Namas, Meyer-Baese, Anke, Meyer-Baese, Uwe, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: In experimental and computational science and engineering, there are a host of practical problems where some tell-tale signs appear well before a critical event of interest surfaces, e.g., the occurrence of tumor is preceded by gradual change in cell density in the neighborhood. If these signs are detected then it is possible to prognosticate the severe conditions that are likely to occur. In this case the tumor can be predicted well before it actually appears and appropriate counter measures...
Show moreIn experimental and computational science and engineering, there are a host of practical problems where some tell-tale signs appear well before a critical event of interest surfaces, e.g., the occurrence of tumor is preceded by gradual change in cell density in the neighborhood. If these signs are detected then it is possible to prognosticate the severe conditions that are likely to occur. In this case the tumor can be predicted well before it actually appears and appropriate counter measures can be taken at an earlier stage with a higher degree of success. The effectiveness of such a system is gauged by how early the changes are detected and the accuracy of the predictions. The feasibility of using a combination of wavelets and neural networks as a prognostic tool is explored in this thesis. There are two phases to implementing a prognosis system for tumor-like growth. The first phase involves characterizing the data so that the tell-tale signs are detected accurately. The next phase involves choosing an appropriate predictive tool to accurately model the growth of the tumor. If this system is built with some learning capability then it could emulate if not surpass the acumen of an expert. Wavelet analyses of incoming signals serve as a preprocessing tool while the neural network is used as the predictor. This wavelets-neural network prognosis tool is directly applied to detect the development of a tumor, well before an expert human eye can perceive the problem. Computer simulations are performed using real and simulated data sets, and conclusions are drawn from the results.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-2141
Format: Thesis

Title: Negotiating Identities during the Copper Age: A Bioarchaeological Study of Burial and Social Networks on the Hungarian Plain (5400-3500 BC).
Creator: Pawn, Ian, Schepartz, Lynne A., Pullen, Daniel J., Hellweg, Joseph, Slice, Dennis E., Parkinson, William A., Department of Anthropology, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This dissertation examines social relations and identity construction as expressed through mortuary ritual. Mortuary treatment has long been used by archaeologists to examine human social structure, and burial is now seen as an important event when communities reflected upon how to represent the deceased and themselves. Representations in graves indicated important social roles and identities of the interred and those who interred them, and thus changes in mortuary treatment might reflect...
Show moreThis dissertation examines social relations and identity construction as expressed through mortuary ritual. Mortuary treatment has long been used by archaeologists to examine human social structure, and burial is now seen as an important event when communities reflected upon how to represent the deceased and themselves. Representations in graves indicated important social roles and identities of the interred and those who interred them, and thus changes in mortuary treatment might reflect changes in individual both identity formation and social relations. Many archaeological models have focused on interpreting mortuary ritual using grave goods and burial ritual. Bioarchaeological analyses can be used to augment study of burials by providing insight into social relations such as marriage, exchange, and interaction that may have influenced mortuary treatment. Overall, the dissertation concerns how both genetic and mortuary variability could be used to model social relations during the Copper Age. This project investigates social relations in the Early and Middle Copper Ages (4500- 3500 BC) of the Hungarian Plain. These periods are characterized by the appearance of burial areas that are distinct from settlements and increasing differentiation between individuals based on both gender and age. Differences are made primarily through body position and grave goods. There are three major research goals. First, burials across the Hungarian Plain are compared to analyze local and regional patterns in mortuary treatment. Second, phenotypic differences in the dentition are used to examine genetic variability between and within cemeteries. Finally, the project evaluates genetic differences between males and females to determine if some mortuary variability might be explained by post-martial residence patterns. Examination of mortuary treatment revealed regional similarities in burial treatment, but each cemetery provided evidence for unique sets of material culture and mortuary rituals. Male and female social identities were distinguishable by different treatments, and age factored in the type and number of items in graves. Phenotypic analyses revealed overall genetic homogeneity across the Plain, but there were subtle genetic differences between the cemetery samples. Based upon diversity in burial treatment and genetic variability, Tiszapolgár-Basatanya and Tiszavalk- Kenderföldek may have represented more regional populations. Despite the presence of distinct gendered mortuary treatments, the genetic differences between males and females within cemeteries were limited suggesting relatively equivalent amounts of gene flow among both sexes. Genetic homogeneity indicates intensified interaction between individuals and communities on the Hungarian Plain during the Copper Age. This interaction was likely accelerated by the exchange of valued items such as stone and metal, and these exchanges seem linked to male social identity through the frequent inclusion of these items in male graves. Female social status may have increased during the Middle Copper Age as evidenced through not only increased female inclusion in cemeteries but also a more even distribution of grave goods between genders. Young female status is particularly emphasized, and this could indicate a connection between female status and youth, marriage, and fertility.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-5100
Format: Thesis

Title: The Nature of Pedagogical Practices Influenced by an Instructor's Beliefs in an Online Mathematics Education Course.
Creator: Lynn, Apryl Charelle, Aspinwall, Leslie, Jones, thel, Clark, Kathleen, Jakubowski, Elizabeth, Shaw, Kenneth, Department of Middle and Secondary Education, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This qualitative case study evaluated an instructor's practices and decision making in the online course, Seminar in Teaching Geometry. The focus of the data analysis was to understand and evaluate the instructor's decisions as they were influenced by the association of belief dimensions and learning-centered orientations. The results were coded based on my interpretation of the framework presented by Samuelowicz and Bain (2001). This framework explains that there are nine belief dimensions...
Show moreThis qualitative case study evaluated an instructor's practices and decision making in the online course, Seminar in Teaching Geometry. The focus of the data analysis was to understand and evaluate the instructor's decisions as they were influenced by the association of belief dimensions and learning-centered orientations. The results were coded based on my interpretation of the framework presented by Samuelowicz and Bain (2001). This framework explains that there are nine belief dimensions and four learning-centered orientations. The data collection involved one case (the instructor), examining the relationship between this instructor's decision making, class activities, and responses from two students. At the conclusion of the study I presented a model that detailed the findings of this instructor and this online mathematics education course. The model identifies belief dimensions and learning-centered orientations associated with this online mathematics education course. This model will help educators, institutional administration, and students understand the dynamics of an online environment, in hopes of enhancing the experiences for the students and the instructors.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0969
Format: Thesis

Title: The Nature of the Natural Woman.
Creator: Adrian, Ann Marie, Leitch, Stephanie, Freiberg, Jack, Weingarden, Lauren, Department of Art History, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Hans Baldung Grien used the innovative chiaroscuro woodcut technique, invented in Germany in 1508, to create his prints Witches' Sabbath (1510) and Fall of Man (1511). This thesis argues that Baldung's depictions of witches and of Eve are connected by the chiaroscuro woodcut technique. The chiaroscuro print establishes a conceptual genealogy that begins with Eve as humanity's first female transgressor and results in the sixteenth-century witch. The chiaroscuro woodcut technique removes the...
Show moreHans Baldung Grien used the innovative chiaroscuro woodcut technique, invented in Germany in 1508, to create his prints Witches' Sabbath (1510) and Fall of Man (1511). This thesis argues that Baldung's depictions of witches and of Eve are connected by the chiaroscuro woodcut technique. The chiaroscuro print establishes a conceptual genealogy that begins with Eve as humanity's first female transgressor and results in the sixteenth-century witch. The chiaroscuro woodcut technique removes the sixteenth-century witch of Witches' Sabbath and Biblical personage Eve in Fall of Man from discrete traditional iconographic lineages and encourages the viewer to understand witches and Eve as natural women. The new category of the natural woman serves as a way to analyze the relationship between early modern witches and Eve, as well as their pictorial and textual connections to the Christian hermit and the folkloric wild woman. Furthermore, the chiaroscuro technique elevated the woodcut by making it a luxurious, fine-art print, and thus allowed Baldung to depict his female subjects independent of any explicit textual or visual precedents. Indeed, Baldung used the technique to introduce a darkness, mood, and drama that was impossible to capture with other techniques in the graphic arts.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-4682
Format: Thesis

Title: Neighborhood Context and Generalized Trust: A Multilevel Mediation Examination of Fear and Police Efficacy.
Creator: Intravia, Jonathan, Stewart, Eric Allen, Taylor, John, Warren, Patricia Y. (Patricia Yvonne), Baumer, Eric P., Florida State University, College of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Abstract/Description: Prior research suggests that neighborhood context has an important role in shaping individuals' perceptions of generalized trust, which is an important ingredient in establishing informal social control. Since most of the empirical research focuses on the direct effects of neighborhood structural conditions, there is a rather limited understanding of how social processes affect individual levels of trust. As a result, it remains unclear whether several theoretically relevant social processes...
Show morePrior research suggests that neighborhood context has an important role in shaping individuals' perceptions of generalized trust, which is an important ingredient in establishing informal social control. Since most of the empirical research focuses on the direct effects of neighborhood structural conditions, there is a rather limited understanding of how social processes affect individual levels of trust. As a result, it remains unclear whether several theoretically relevant social processes mediate the effects of neighborhood compositional features. The current study uses data from the Project of Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods--Community Survey (PHDCN-CS) to investigate whether social mechanisms, specifically fear and police efficacy, mediate the relationship between several adverse neighborhood conditions on individual-level generalized trust. The findings show that both fear and police efficacy are salient mechanisms in the neighborhood context and trust relationship. The theoretical and policy implications of the results are discussed, along with implications and directions for future research in this area.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9621
Format: Thesis

Title: Narratives of Sesame Street: Music, Memory, and Meaning.
Creator: Clendinning, Elizabeth, Bakan, Michael B., Gunderson, Frank, Van Glahn, Denise, College of Music, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Sesame Street, the longest continuously-running children's television show in the United States, has become iconic because of its characters and skits, but also for its music. For several generations, viewers of Sesame Street not only remember the music; upon hearing the songs again, they remember the conversations and revelations that they originally experienced while watching the program as children. The music recalls vividly a time they describe as having shaped their views on a variety of...
Show moreSesame Street, the longest continuously-running children's television show in the United States, has become iconic because of its characters and skits, but also for its music. For several generations, viewers of Sesame Street not only remember the music; upon hearing the songs again, they remember the conversations and revelations that they originally experienced while watching the program as children. The music recalls vividly a time they describe as having shaped their views on a variety of matters, including childhood, music, education, society, and the process of growing up. In this thesis, I explore how the music of Sesame Street functions as a site for cultural memory among young adults, based on information drawn from two focus group sessions in which individuals who watched Sesame Street as children came together to view and comment upon musical segments from the show. The thesis is divided into four sections. The introduction provides background information about Sesame Street, the related literature, and this project. The second chapter, "Sing a Song: ABCs, 1-2-3s, and a Primary Musical Education," explores the general academic content of Sesame Street songs and then contextualizes their impact in terms of individual stories and reactions to the segments. The third chapter, "The Count is Jewish?" A Discourse on Diversity" addresses a recurring thread of discussion throughout the two sessions—how race and ethnicity were presented in the songs of Sesame Street and how this informed the individuals' watching of the show, both as children and as adults. Themes central to this chapter are portrayal, perception, and modern political correctness with regards to race. The final chapter, "Shared Pasts, Shared Presents: How Memories of Sesame Street Build Community," elaborates on the idea of memory and the formation of identity, focusing on where and how the subjects of this study encounter and experience Sesame Street in their adult lives, and how they interacted in mixed groups using the music from this television show as the central point of discussion. The chapter also weaves together the individual debates presented in chapters two and three to explore the nature of Sesame Street as a mass-mediated musical object, and how the re-viewing of this shared culture has allowed for individuals to draw their own conclusions about how this music played an active role in their childhoods and beyond. In sum, the study represents a case study of cultural memory vis-à-vis the music of a specific television show while potentially shedding light on larger issues of the relationship between individual and collective memory within the framework of a shared cultural experience.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-3583
Format: Thesis

Title: The Next Generation Grid-Connected PV Inverters for High Penetration Applications.
Creator: Zhou, Yan, Li, Hui, Shih, Chiang, Foo, Simon Y., Zheng, Jim P., Meyer-Baese, Uwe, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The increasing consumer demand and government incentives are driving the rapid growth of renewable energy generation. In particularly, the number of distributed photovoltaic (PV) system installations is increasing quickly. However, the high cost of the PV systems and the potential impacts on the safe operation of utility grid could become barriers to their future expansion. To enable the high penetration of distributed PV systems, it is necessary to bring down the PV system cost and mitigate...
Show moreThe increasing consumer demand and government incentives are driving the rapid growth of renewable energy generation. In particularly, the number of distributed photovoltaic (PV) system installations is increasing quickly. However, the high cost of the PV systems and the potential impacts on the safe operation of utility grid could become barriers to their future expansion. To enable the high penetration of distributed PV systems, it is necessary to bring down the PV system cost and mitigate its adverse impacts on utility grid operation. As the interface between the renewable sources and the utility grid, advanced power electronics technologies will play important roles in realizing the above goals. The transformerless cascaded multilevel inverter (CMI) is considered to be a promising topology alternative for low-cost and high-efficiency PV systems. This research work presents a single-phase transformerless PV system based on cascaded quasi-Z-source inverters (qZSI). In this system, each qZSI module is connected to a single PV panel and serves as a PV module-integrated converter (MIC). The advantages of the proposed MIC structure include low voltage gain requirement, single-stage energy conversion, enhanced reliability and good output power quality. The innovative structure can reduce the cost and increase the efficiency of the power conversion stage. Furthermore, the enhancement mode gallium-nitride field effect transistors (eGaN FETs) are employed in the qZSI module for efficiency improvement at higher switching frequency. Optimized module design is developed based on the derived qZSI ac equivalent model and power loss analytical model to achieve high efficiency and high power density. A design example of qZSI module is presented for a 250 W PV panel with 25 V ~ 50 V output voltage. The simulation and experimental results prove the validity of the analytical models. The final module design achieves up to 98.06% efficiency with 100 kHz switching frequency. The peak efficiency can be further improved to 98.66% with synchronous rectification. Though the tranformerless CMI-based PV systems can achieve high performance and low cost, the leakage current issue resulted from the parasitic capacitors between the PV panels and the earth remains a challenging. In this research work, the leakage current paths in PV CMI are analyzed and the unique features are discussed. Two filter-based suppression solutions are then presented to tackle the leakage current issue in different PV CMI applications. The first method is more suitable for the CMIs operated at high switching frequency. The second method extends the application to the CMIs operated with lower switching frequency by bringing in extra wire connections among the cascaded modules and the grid output. Simplified leakage current analytical models are derived to study the suppression mechanisms and design the suppression filters. Study cases are demonstrated for each of the solutions. The first solution is applied to the above presented PV system based on cascaded qZSIs. The second solution is executed in a PV system with two cascaded H-bridges where each switching device is operated at 10 kHz. Simulation and experimental results are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed solutions. To mitigate the adverse impacts on utility grid operation associated with high penetration level of PV systems, an autonomous unified var controller is proposed to address the system voltage issues and unintentional islanding problems. The proposed controller features integration of both voltage regulation (VR) and islanding detection (ID) functions in a PV inverter based on reactive power control. Compared with the individual VR or ID methods, the function integration exhibits several advantages in high PV penetration applications: 1) fast voltage regulation due to the autonomous control; 2) enhanced system reliability because of the capability to distinguish between temporary grid disturbances and islanding events; 3) negligible non-detection zone (NDZ) and no adverse impact on system power quality for ID and 4) no interferences among multiple PV systems during ID. As the VR and ID functions are integrated in one controller, the controller is designed to fulfill the requirement of VR dynamic performance and ensure small ID NDZ simultaneously. The interaction among multiple PV systems during VR is also considered in the design procedure. The feasibility of the proposed controller and the controller design method is validated with simulation using a real time digital simulator (RTDS) and a power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) testbed. Finally, conclusions are given and the scope of future work is discussed.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-8674
Format: Thesis

Title: Next Generation Performance Monitoring.
Creator: West, Paul E. (Paul Edwin), Tyson, Gary, Gerber, Larry, Whalley, David, Wang, Andy, Department of Computer Science, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: As we reach the limits of single-core computing, we are promised more and more cores in our systems. Modern architectures include many performance counters per core, but few or no inter-core counters. In fact, performance counters were not originally designed to be exploited by users as they now are, but used simply as aids for hardware debugging and testing during system creation. As such, they tend to be an "afterthought" in the design, with no standardization across or within platforms....
Show moreAs we reach the limits of single-core computing, we are promised more and more cores in our systems. Modern architectures include many performance counters per core, but few or no inter-core counters. In fact, performance counters were not originally designed to be exploited by users as they now are, but used simply as aids for hardware debugging and testing during system creation. As such, they tend to be an "afterthought" in the design, with no standardization across or within platforms. Nonetheless, given access to these counters, researchers are using them to great advantage. Furthermore, evaluating counters for multicore systems has become a complex and resource-consuming task. This dissertation explores a Performance Monitoring System consisting of a specialized CPU core designed to allow efficient collection and evaluation of performance data for both static and dynamic optimizations. A synthesizable hardware implementation is created and compared to modern day processors. Furthermore, each component and the ISA of the system is thoroughly explored. This system provides a transparent mechanism to dynamically change how architectural features inform the operating system of process behavior, and assist in profiling and debugging. For instance, a piece of hardware watching snoop packets can determine when a write-update cache coherence protocol would be helpful or detrimental to the currently running program. The Performance Monitoring System is designed to let the hardware feed performance statistics back to the software, allowing dynamic architectural adjustments at runtime. SPLASH2 benchmarks are evaluated for cache coherency policy and task scheduling. Using these two examples, this dissertation shows how the Performance Monitoring System is programmed to find performance improvements. A 16% average performance improvement was found for cache coherency and 17% improvement was found for task scheduling.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-1150
Format: Thesis

Title: New York Avant-Garde Theatre, Values, Goals and Resonances.
Creator: Bederson, Aron, Cloonan, William, Van Glahn, Denise, Martinez, Maricarmen, Bickley, Robert, Program in Interdisciplinary Humanities, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The post-war World War Two years were an exciting period of theatrical history. This particular era was one of great theatrical activity and experimentation. American writers and painters were a part of the post-war boom that shifted the center of art and culture from Paris to New York. In this dissertation, I will examine the counterculture theatre movement that emerged in this period and came into being in the 1950's and 60's in terms of new portrayals of character as reflected in...
Show moreThe post-war World War Two years were an exciting period of theatrical history. This particular era was one of great theatrical activity and experimentation. American writers and painters were a part of the post-war boom that shifted the center of art and culture from Paris to New York. In this dissertation, I will examine the counterculture theatre movement that emerged in this period and came into being in the 1950's and 60's in terms of new portrayals of character as reflected in experimentations in text and music. In order to establish the intellectual frame of my discussion, in chapter one, I will first define the major terms that I will be discussing such as modernism and character. I will address the finer aspects of the discussion such as postmodernism and humanism in my concluding chapter. I will also discuss the major trends of the historical/artistic period- terms such as avant-garde in this context and will also describe the major artists of each of its waves and what themes were most prevalent in their work. Who were the avant-garde that proceeded the New York post war theatre artists I am examining and how did they influence their work? How am I defining this wave of the avant-garde and when did it end?" How did this new sensibility materialize in some of the experimentations that took place in the staging of these productions as well as the performer/spectator relationship? In the body of my dissertation, chapters II, III, IV, V and VI I will address specific productions of the primary companies of this period: In chapter II: The Living Theatre, founded by Judith Malina and Julian Beck in 1946; in chapter III: The Open Theater founded by Joseph Chaikin in 1963; in chapter IV, Richard Schechner's Performing Garage founded in 1968; in chapter V, Medicine Show Theatre Ensemble, founded by James Barbosa and Barbara Vann in 1970. In the chapters concerned with the theater companies of the New York avant- garde that I have identified, I will primarily discuss these specific productions: The Connection and "Paradise Now" by the Living Theatre, "The Serpent" by the Open Theater, Dionsyus in 69 by the Performing Garage, and Bound To Rise, A Change of Hearts The Songs and Poetry of Leonard Cohen and Queen Being, created by Medicine Show Theatre Ensemble. As I discuss the companies and productions I have identified I will ask the question what was new about the presentation of character as portrayed through the text, music, staging and direction of these productions? The Connection, the first major production of the Living Theatre for example, marks the beginning of their journey towards the elimination of fictional characters and space on the stage (Aronson 61). Dionysus in 69 and Brace Up performed by the Wooster Group, The Serpent, performed by the Open Theater, and Paradise Now performed by the Living Theatre involved the ensemble in new ways in the creation and telling of the story. In the final chapter of my dissertation I will look at some of the new directions avant-garde theatre is taking, in particular, the work of Meredith Monk as reflected in her opera Atlas as well as the work of a group dedicated to preserving her work for future generation of singers and audiences, M6.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-1205
Format: Thesis

Title: Next Generation Active Materials and Structures for Autonomous Systems.
Creator: Hays, Michael R., Oates, William, Hussaini, M. Yousuff, Alvi, Farrukh, Hellstrom, Eric, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: No abstract at this time.
Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-7413
Format: Thesis

Title: Professionalism of Florida Senior Management Service and Selected Exempt Service Administrators: Managerial, Political, and Ethical Roles.
Creator: Heil, David Carlton, Berry, Frances S., Barrilleaux, Charles J., Klay, William Earle, Bowman, James S., School of Public Administration and Policy, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The policy of the State of Florida recognizes high-level public administration as a profession and expects administrators to be competent and to practice managerial, political, and ethical roles. Conceptual frameworks of high-level administrators' credentials (knowledge and skills) and behaviors (managerial, political, and ethical roles) in public administration literature are reviewed. Operational definitions are developed for the concepts of professional credentials, managerial roles,...
Show moreThe policy of the State of Florida recognizes high-level public administration as a profession and expects administrators to be competent and to practice managerial, political, and ethical roles. Conceptual frameworks of high-level administrators' credentials (knowledge and skills) and behaviors (managerial, political, and ethical roles) in public administration literature are reviewed. Operational definitions are developed for the concepts of professional credentials, managerial roles, political roles, and ethical roles. A model is presented which views a professional public administrator from two different perspectives: (1) knowledge and skills and (2) practices and views of managerial, political, and ethical roles. Hypotheses are developed for specific research questions. Survey instruments were developed and sent via the World Wide Web to State of Florida high-level agency administrators. The response rate was 32.9 percent. Overall, the sample was representative of the population, except that female respondents were under represented. Results indicate that Florida high-level administrators surveyed exhibit high professional credentials based on experience, education, training, political acuity, and public service attitudes. Results indicate that these administrators exhibit and place high importance on many of the expected behaviors or roles. Results fail to show the anticipated positive association between measures of professional credentials and professional behaviors. Results indicate little professional credentials and professional behavior differences in those administrators entering these high-level positions voluntarily (hired into the position) compared to those entering involuntarily (position was converted from the career service system). Overall, Florida high-level administrators exhibit the high level of professional competence and professional behaviors described in the public administration literature and prescribed in Florida public policies. Strengths and weaknesses of these administrators are discussed. Theoretical, policy, and practical implications of the findings are discussed as well as are the limitations and directions for future research.
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Date Issued: 2003
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-4151
Format: Thesis

Title: Constructions of Place, Culture, and Identity in Historic Preservation: A Case Study of Hickory Ground, Alabama.
Creator: Earnest, Samantha, Steinberg, Philip, Frank, Andrew, Doel, Ronald E., Leib, Jonathan, Klooster, Daniel, Department of Geography, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This dissertation demonstrates how social constructions are mobilized as discourse through arguments about the meanings of certain concepts, and how these arguments over meaning are themselves constitutive of social construction. In particular, it focuses on the interrelated constructions of place, culture, and identity made in land-use conflicts involving historic preservation, such as that surrounding the historic Hickory Ground site, located on tribal land near Wetumpka, Alabama....
Show moreThis dissertation demonstrates how social constructions are mobilized as discourse through arguments about the meanings of certain concepts, and how these arguments over meaning are themselves constitutive of social construction. In particular, it focuses on the interrelated constructions of place, culture, and identity made in land-use conflicts involving historic preservation, such as that surrounding the historic Hickory Ground site, located on tribal land near Wetumpka, Alabama. Methodologically, these constructions are revealed through the study of differential meanings given to the concepts of heritage, sacredness, preservation, indigineity, and sovereignty as they are employed in the Hickory Ground case, in original interviews, newspaper articles, and other documents by social actors with different positionalities and powers. This paper eschews analysis of the construction of place, culture, and identity, in favor of an understanding of power relations, and the ways particular discourses, and the constructions they represent, come to be dominant and affect the most material change: land-use management decisions that transform (or preserve) the Hickory Ground site. This understanding is essential for historic preservation policy analyses in which seeking the resolution of contentious disagreements over particular places is the goal, as any resolution must emerge from negotiations amongst multiple parties rather than top-down policy decisions made by appeal to historical "fact."
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0607
Format: Thesis

Title: Consumer Acceptance of Online Customization for Apparel.
Creator: Cho, Hira, Fiorito, Susan S., Hofacker, Charles F., Cloud, Rinn, Sullivan, Pauline, Department of Retail Merchandising and Product Development, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: As online markets grow and become increasingly competitive, customization is becoming recognized as an important tool to satisfy and retain e-commerce customers. By adopting customization, the apparel industry may have a greater potential than ever before of being successful in e-commerce. While previous studies have presented different observations about consumer responses toward online customization, no studies have clearly identified the key determinants and the path to build consumers'...
Show moreAs online markets grow and become increasingly competitive, customization is becoming recognized as an important tool to satisfy and retain e-commerce customers. By adopting customization, the apparel industry may have a greater potential than ever before of being successful in e-commerce. While previous studies have presented different observations about consumer responses toward online customization, no studies have clearly identified the key determinants and the path to build consumers' positive responses and future intentions toward online customization system for apparel. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explain consumers' acceptance of online customization for apparel by identifying factors that influence the future intention of using a customizing system and to investigate the relationships between the factors. The specific objectives of this study were 1) to determine whether two major determinants of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) are valid to explain consumer acceptance of online customization, 2) to investigate the role of trust in the acceptance of online customization for apparel, and 3) to investigate how complexity levels of apparel customization impact consumer perceptions of websites. A research model was constructed based on TAM and on the multi-dimensional trust model from Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques. The model hypothesized the relationships between eight latent variables with a total of 37 indicators. An online survey was used to collect data based on respondents' experiences for customizing jeans in different complexity levels (high, medium, and low) of the shopping procedure. Three types of surveys were developed to present one shopping simulation in each survey. Samples were 300 female adults (100 for each survey) secured by random (nationwide) and quota sampling methods. A pilot test was conducted prior to performing the main study. The hypothesis was tested by AMOS 7.0 and the assumptions for SEM and descriptive statistics were analyzed by SPSS 15.0. Compared with the demographic characteristics of the nationwide population reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, the characteristics of the samples were younger and had a higher education and a slightly higher income. Little difference existed between the groups reported from the U.S. Census Bureau and this study in terms of the race and area distributions. Two latent variables were combined as one and seven indicators were dropped by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Thus, overall model fit tests were based on seven latent variables and a total of 30 indicators. The initial model was not acceptable and was revised by adding a path from Perceived Ease of Use to Perceived Safety at first, and then by adding a path from Perceived Usefulness to Perceived Safety. Interestingly, the accepted model presented a negative relationship between Perceived Ease of Use and Intention, which is not consistent with previous studies. Additionally, the final model showed the importance of Perceived Safety which mediated the relationships between either Perceived Usefulness or Perceived Ease of Use and Trust. The older age group (over 40) indicated that the usefulness of a website with a low level of complexity is not significantly different from that of a website with a high level of complexity. The results suggested that TAM might be useful in identifying factors that influence consumer acceptance of online customization, but the interpretation needs to be different. This study also supported the need for extending variables for the TAM to explain consumer acceptance of online customization for apparel. Finally, this study provided a revised insight for antecedents of trust in initial relationships. Implications were suggested to marketers, followed by limitations and future research.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-3793
Format: Thesis

Title: The Problem of Akratic Action.
Creator: Watkins, Lisa Ann, Mele, Alfred, Baumeister, Roy, Gert, Joshua, Department of Philosophy, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: According to the common account, an akratic action is an action that is performed freely, intentionally, and contrary to an agent's better judgment. Donald Davidson, who has given the modern face to the formulation and discussion of the problem of akratic action, begins his discussion with his own reading of an "uncontroversial" doctrine regarding intentional action. The general reading of this doctrine states that when an agent acts intentionally he acts in light of some imagined good....
Show moreAccording to the common account, an akratic action is an action that is performed freely, intentionally, and contrary to an agent's better judgment. Donald Davidson, who has given the modern face to the formulation and discussion of the problem of akratic action, begins his discussion with his own reading of an "uncontroversial" doctrine regarding intentional action. The general reading of this doctrine states that when an agent acts intentionally he acts in light of some imagined good. Davidson's reading of this doctrine is that when an agent acts intentionally he acts in light of what he imagines to be the better. I begin my own account of akratic action by explaining that Davidson's reading of this doctrine is mistaken because it ignores two distinct ways in which an agent can think something to be good (or worth pursuing); a comparative and a non-comparative (simple) way. If the distinction between simple and comparative judgments is overlooked it is easy to see how Davidson's formulation of the problem of akratic action gets its legs. If one assumes that an agent's judgment that bears on what she does intentionally must be a comparative better judgment, as Davidson claims, then it seems that the agent will (intentionally) act in accordance with what she judges to be the better. This makes akratic action seem difficult if not impossible to explain. However if the distinction is acknowledged and it can furthermore be shown that simple judgments, not just comparative judgments, produce corresponding intentional action, and furthermore that they may produce intentional action at times when a conflicting comparative judgment is also present, then akratic action is intelligible. After analyzing Davidson's own reading of the doctrine of intentional action, and the two principles (P1 and P2) that he uses to flesh it out, I formulate my own account of these principles (P1 and P2) and the two distinct types of motivation that play a role in each. In showing that there are two distinct types of motivation, I show that wanting x more in a theoretical sense may not translate into the agent's wanting x more in a practical sense. If it does not, then the path is clear for the occurrence of akratic action. If an agent can in a theoretical sense want more what he judges as evaluatively better, yet in a practical sense want more what he has a simple judgment of goodness regarding (and this simple judgment conflicts with his comparative value-based judgment), then contrary to what Davidson's P1 and P2 entail, an agent may act intentionally and freely in opposition to what he judges evaluatively better (best).
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-1237
Format: Thesis

Title: The Process of Choosing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Careers by Undergraduate Women: A Narrative Life History Analysis.
Creator: Hughes, Roxanne M. (Roxanne Marie), Rutledge, Stacey, Southerland, Sherry, Schwartz, Robert A., Milton, Sande, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida...
Show moreHughes, Roxanne M. (Roxanne Marie), Rutledge, Stacey, Southerland, Sherry, Schwartz, Robert A., Milton, Sande, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
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Abstract/Description: This qualitative study focused on female college seniors and their choices about their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) college majors and career choice at the college level. STEM fields have an underrepresentation of women in both the numbers of degrees awarded each year and the number of women participating at the career level (National Science Foundation (NSF), 2007). College is a crucial time to study women's STEM choices regarding majors and careers because women...
Show moreThis qualitative study focused on female college seniors and their choices about their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) college majors and career choice at the college level. STEM fields have an underrepresentation of women in both the numbers of degrees awarded each year and the number of women participating at the career level (National Science Foundation (NSF), 2007). College is a crucial time to study women's STEM choices regarding majors and careers because women and men appear to be equally prepared for success in a STEM career when they enter college, but fewer women persist in these majors (NSF, 2007). This decrease in interest and persistence has been a phenomenon that policy makers and college administrators have tried to address. One of the prominent policy initiatives at the college level since 1990, has been single gender living and learning communities where women majoring in STEM fields live together on a dormitory floor. The program of focus in this study will be referred to as WSTEM (Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). This study had two purposes: first, to understand the factors that influence women's persistence in STEM as the women move toward college graduation; second, to determine the role that WSTEM (a single-gender LLC) had on women's persistence in STEM. To address these, this study focused on twenty six women who attended a Research 1 university in the southeastern United States from 2006 to 2010. Twelve of these women had participated in WSTEM and fourteen came from the general university population. All twenty six women were interviewed using narrative life history analysis to understand the influences on their decisions to stay or leave their original STEM major. At the time of graduation fourteen of these women (eight from the general population and six from WSTEM) graduated with a STEM degree and planned to pursue a STEM career and twelve chose to leave their original STEM major and did not plan to pursue a STEM career (six from the general population and six from WSTEM). The research was guided by the Eccles' (2007) expectancy-value model related to career choice and Butler's (1999) conception of gender. The results of this study indicated that persistence in STEM degrees in highly influenced by three main factors: pre-college and college success in math and science; support from parents, teachers, and college professors; and peer support networks at the college level. The stayers mentioned these factors more than their leaving peers. Many of the participants (both stayers and leavers) identified gender related and non-gender related aspects of the chilly climate within college STEM departments that negatively influenced their STEM career decisions. However, the stayers were able to maintain high expectations of success and see value in their continued participation in STEM fields. This detailed qualitative study will help policy makers and program directors better understand how to increase the number of women in STEM fields by focusing on the factors that affect individual women's choice of major and early career decisions. As a result, this study will contribute to the literature on improving women's underrepresentation in STEM fields. In response to the question of how WSTEM affected women's decisions to persist in STEM fields, this study found that providing access to a female-friendly support group offers some benefits to persistence. However, a female-friendly environment within WSTEM did not always translate into female-friendly policies within STEM departments. All of the WSTEM leavers reported negative experiences within their STEM majors as factors in their decision to leave. Participants' comments about WSTEM, however, indicated that the program provided a peer support network with even the leavers (5/6) reporting the positive influence of friendships they made through their participation in the program. Drawing from these findings, this study concluded that WSTEM met its goals for the women who fully participated in it. Of those women who participated in research opportunities, all but one persisted. And all but one identified the social aspect of WSTEM as a positive influence on their college experience if not their STEM college experience. The findings did not unequivocally support the positive impacts of women-only programs. The study, like others (Mael et al., 2007), found mixed evidence regarding the impact of women-only STEM LLC's on women's persistence in STEM fields. These programs are one part of a multitude of other factors that affect persistence. The study found that three main areas can positively affect women's persistence in STEM fields: success in math and science classes before and during college; positive experiences with STEM fields and professionals in college; and peer support networks. The final area included both formal peer support networks such as WSTEM or informal groups composed of peers in one's major. The results are discussed in detail and contribute to the growing literature on the influences that lead to STEM career choice at the college level. This study can also contribute to practices, theory, and policies related to increasing women's persistence in STEM fields
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-3668
Format: Thesis

Title: Content Area Teachers' Perceptions of the Factors That Promote or Inhibit Infusion of Content Area Reading Strategies into Instruction.
Creator: Nahmias, Cheryl Kopec, Wood, Susan Nelson, Carroll, Pamela "Sissi", Roehrig, Alysia, Irvin, Judith, Witte, Shelbie, School of Teacher Education, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This interpretive case study took place in an urban middle school where content area—math, science, social studies and English language arts—teachers engaged in school-wide initiatives designed to promote students' reading development in their content area classes. Participants were twenty teachers across grade levels six, seven and eight. Teachers participated in an online survey designed to capture key variables related to their experiences, literacy beliefs and literacy practices; focus...
Show moreThis interpretive case study took place in an urban middle school where content area—math, science, social studies and English language arts—teachers engaged in school-wide initiatives designed to promote students' reading development in their content area classes. Participants were twenty teachers across grade levels six, seven and eight. Teachers participated in an online survey designed to capture key variables related to their experiences, literacy beliefs and literacy practices; focus group interviews designed to investigate their perceptions related to key themes in the literature on content area reading instruction; structured one-on-one interviews to validate researcher interpretations of early data analysis and to collect individual teacher data on key themes generated in focus group interviews; and finally, an anonymous online survey designed to verify key findings. Key findings indicate that teachers in this school held content area reading support as a goal for their students but felt a tension between their responsibility to students' academic literacy learning and their own responsibility to teach content area standards. Students' vocabulary knowledge emerged as a major theme in terms of its perceived impact on student's ability to learn from content area texts and content area vocabulary strategies were the most often used and deemed most efficacious by teachers. Factors that teachers perceived as most helpful in promoting their teaching of content area reading included instructional factors (student motivation, using diverse texts, relevant/engaging reading materials, and teaching reading strategies) and infrastructural factors (school-wide focus on literacy, access to leveled text resources, support from instructional coach/media specialist, collaboration with peers, and help supporting individual students). Teacher-perceived obstacles to providing effective reading instruction included infrastructural factors (lack of sufficient instructional and planning time and pressure to "cover" content) and instructional factors (student ability, differentiating for student needs, and student motivation). Implications for schools and districts as well as possibilities for future research are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-2801
Format: Thesis

Title: Content Markup Language Design Principles.
Creator: Strotmann, Andreas, Kohout, Ladislav J., Seppala, Mika, Van Engelen, Robert A., Gallivan, Kyle, Levitz, Hilbert, Department of Computer Science, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The research goal of this dissertation is to point the way towards a better understanding for the hidden complexities of knowledge communication and content markup, with a view to cleaner, more principled designs. The following four specific contributions are shown to be particularly useful tools in the quest for understanding and improving the design of content markup languages: Linguistics parallel: Since human language is a high-quality existing solution to a generalization of the problem...
Show moreThe research goal of this dissertation is to point the way towards a better understanding for the hidden complexities of knowledge communication and content markup, with a view to cleaner, more principled designs. The following four specific contributions are shown to be particularly useful tools in the quest for understanding and improving the design of content markup languages: Linguistics parallel: Since human language is a high-quality existing solution to a generalization of the problem that knowledge communication languages aim to solve, the study of the "engineering solutions" of human language provide a guideline to engineering solutions for content markup language design. Language layers and components: We propose a general architecture for knowledge communication languages, noting that human language appears to be structured in a deeply related parallel fashion. Compositionality: The Compositionality Principle is a fundamental research paradigm in the study of the semantics of human language. We show how this principle, which we have introduced into our research field from linguistics, has already had a notable effect on improving content markup languages. Categorial semantics: A categorial semantics of a knowledge communication language is another fundamental tool, as linguists who study the semantics of human language have discovered. In particular, we introduce the concept of categorial types into the discussion, and propose a complete categorial type system for one particular language, namely OpenMath. This dissertation is thus concerned with the architecture of such languages. The linguistics parallel posits a parallel between human language and content markup architectures based on a realization that the problems they solve are deeply related, which leads us to propose a general architecture of layers and components for content markup and knowledge communication languages. The compositionality principle provides an architectural guideline for the design of the two core layers of such languages, and writing a categorial type system for a compositional content markup language turns out to be an immensely useful tool for designing such a language. Application of this approach to several existing language proposals provides evidence for its practical usefulness, by showing how failure to adhere to these design principles produces concrete bugs in their specifications.
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Date Issued: 2003
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-1534
Format: Thesis

Title: Contemporary Algerian Filmmaking: from "Cinéma National" to "Cinéma De L'Urgence" (Mohamed Chouikh, Merzak Allouache, Yamina Bachir-Chouikh, Nadir Moknèche).
Creator: Belguellaoui, Cheira, Hargreaves, Alec G., Cooper, Mark G., Cloonan, William J., Leushuis, Reinier, Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This dissertation considers the position of contemporary Algerian filmmaking (1988-2003) against the much-debated concept of national cinema. Drawing upon a range of theoretical frameworks and concepts such as Third Cinema, transnational cinema, and "accented" cinema, this dissertation asks—among key questions—whether Algerian-directed films still articulate a national coherence. In other words, do they still speak the nation? If so, how might we, based on their modus operandi, thematic and...
Show moreThis dissertation considers the position of contemporary Algerian filmmaking (1988-2003) against the much-debated concept of national cinema. Drawing upon a range of theoretical frameworks and concepts such as Third Cinema, transnational cinema, and "accented" cinema, this dissertation asks—among key questions—whether Algerian-directed films still articulate a national coherence. In other words, do they still speak the nation? If so, how might we, based on their modus operandi, thematic and other constituents define this particular cinema? As part of a larger discussion and through the works of four distinctive Algerian-born filmmakers, each chapter takes into account questions of production, distribution, exhibition, influences, textuality, critical reception and audience (whenever feasible), and addresses each director's specificities as well as their relationship and engagement to Algeria. In doing so, this study accounts for the complexities of a body of films whose ties to the nation-state remain both significant and historically relevant for they probe specific and contemporary questions surrounding gender, sexuality, and politics, but most importantly the rise and impact of Islamic fundamentalism. Although it is often difficult if not impossible for Algerian filmmakers to openly address Algeria's political instability, the efforts which they have made in this regard, have resulted in multiple representations of a young society with an uncertain sense of identity and direction. Specific film texts are thus examined as constitutive of multiple counter-discourses of the nation. Through its analysis of such texts, the dissertation aims to bring attention to a corpus of understudied works and to highlight their national specificity.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0338
Format: Thesis

Title: Contemporary New Zealand Piano Music: Four Selected Works from Twelve Landscape Preludes: Landscape Prelude, the Street Where I Live, Sleeper and the Horizon from Owhiro Bay.
Creator: Kim, Joohae, Gainsford, Read, Jones, Evan Allan, Hastings, Joel, Williams, Heidi Louise, College of Music, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Landscape Preludes is a collection of pieces commissioned in 2003 by New Zealand pianist Stephen de Pledge from twelve New Zealand composers. The writing took about four years and the complete set was first performed by de Pledge at the International Festival of Arts in Wellington, New Zealand, on 6 April 2008. The title `Landscape Preludes' refers to inspiration drawn from New Zealand landscapes in general rather than to specific geographical locations. This treatise examines four pieces...
Show moreLandscape Preludes is a collection of pieces commissioned in 2003 by New Zealand pianist Stephen de Pledge from twelve New Zealand composers. The writing took about four years and the complete set was first performed by de Pledge at the International Festival of Arts in Wellington, New Zealand, on 6 April 2008. The title `Landscape Preludes' refers to inspiration drawn from New Zealand landscapes in general rather than to specific geographical locations. This treatise examines four pieces from the set: Landscape Preludes by Jenny McLeod, The Street Where I Live by Jack Body, Sleeper by John Psathas and The Horizon from Owhiro Bay by Gareth Farr. These were chosen to represent four contemporary approaches to writing for the piano: music generated from a theoretical notion (McLeod); the piano combined with electronic material (Body); color derived from minimalism, combined with Greek modes (Psathas); the inspiration of the Balinese gamelan (Farr). The treatise is arranged in three main chapters: a historical background of New Zealand music; biographies of the four composers; and an analysis and performance guide for the four selected pieces. The first chapter describes the history of New Zealand music followed by discussion of New Zealand's natural landscapes, recent New Zealand composers, and background information of Landscape Preludes. The second chapter presents information on each composer's life, musical influences and achievements. The third chapter, the analysis and performance guide, I discusses aspects of compositional technique including rhythm, ostinato, harmonic language, pitch choices, and texture. This chapter also describes specific compositional styles such as the use of Greek scales, musical elements from the Balinese gamelan, the Tone Clock system of Peter Schat, and Sprechstimme, a vocal technique used by Schönberg amongst others. An interpretative guide is also provided in this chapter based on the author's own experience performing the works. The suggestions given explore the use of pedal, and treatment of rhythms, tempo and dynamics.!
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-4952
Format: Thesis

Title: A Content Analysis of Citations to J.C.R. Licklider's "Man-Computer Symbiosis," 1960 - 2001: Diffusing the Intergalactic Network.
Creator: Tomasello, Tami K., McDowell, Stephen D., McClure, Charles R., Grisé, Philip J., Heald, Gary R., Opel, Andrew R., School of Communication, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: In 1960, J. C. R. Licklider, a well respected academician and professional, published an article entitled, "Man-Computer Symbiosis," in the fledgling research journal, the IRE (Institute of Radio Engineers) Transactions on Human Factors in Electronics. Reflecting back on its publication, Internet historians and Internet pioneers consistently cite the influential nature of the article in predicting the Internet's development. Using diffusion of innovations and the agenda-setting function as...
Show moreIn 1960, J. C. R. Licklider, a well respected academician and professional, published an article entitled, "Man-Computer Symbiosis," in the fledgling research journal, the IRE (Institute of Radio Engineers) Transactions on Human Factors in Electronics. Reflecting back on its publication, Internet historians and Internet pioneers consistently cite the influential nature of the article in predicting the Internet's development. Using diffusion of innovations and the agenda-setting function as the theoretical framework, this study examines the influence network produced by a set of articles that cite Licklider from 1960-2001. The purpose of the study is to investigate the spread and influence of the ideas expressed in "Man-Computer Symbiosis" among published citing works in order to clarify our understanding about the article's contributions. Diffusion of innovations assists in explaining the spread of Licklider's ideas among citing authors. Agenda-setting offers insight into the events in Licklider's career that positioned him to publish "Man-Computer Symbiosis" while also identifying the salience of particular ideas over others in citing authors' works. Citation analysis and quantitative content analysis are combined to produce the data set. Citation analysis identifies the influence network for "Man-Computer Symbiosis," as represented by a set of citing authors. Quantitative content analysis examines the appearance of Licklider's ideas within the article citations. Study results indicate that of the 110 citing articles examined, the idea for symbiosis was most frequently cited. In general, the hierarchy of ideas presented in "Man-Computer Symbiosis" was reflected overall in the citing authors' hierarchy. The majority of citing authors were academicians affiliated with top-tier institutions who published in well-respected science/technology outlets. Citations to "Man-Computer Symbiosis" have remained relatively stable during a 40-year period, and the article continues to diffuse slowly but steadily among the research community.
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Date Issued: 2004
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-1285
Format: Thesis

Title: Content Analysis of the Practicum Course in the Master of Science in Educational Leadership/Administration Program.
Creator: Norman, Scott W., Irvin, Judith L., Brummel-Smith, Kenneth, Rutledge, Stacey, Turner, Jeannine, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: In this study, I explored the overall efficacy of the Master of Science in Educational Leadership/ Administration (MSEL/A) program at Florida State University (FSU), by taking a closer look at the introductory course, Practicum in Educational Leadership (the Practicum), as well as the final assessment, the student e-portfolio. The MSEL/A at FSU is an educational leadership program intended to prepare students to take and pass the Florida Educational Leadership Exam (FELE) and to become school...
Show moreIn this study, I explored the overall efficacy of the Master of Science in Educational Leadership/ Administration (MSEL/A) program at Florida State University (FSU), by taking a closer look at the introductory course, Practicum in Educational Leadership (the Practicum), as well as the final assessment, the student e-portfolio. The MSEL/A at FSU is an educational leadership program intended to prepare students to take and pass the Florida Educational Leadership Exam (FELE) and to become school administrators in the Florida public education system. Since 2004, the program has undergone change, first becoming a blended or hybrid program, then moving completely online in 2007. The Practicum is the first course taken in the overall MSEL/A program and is made up of several components, including the Discussion Board, the Leadership Development Plan, FELE preparation, and the Mentor Journals. Overall student achievement is evidenced by the collected works found in the online portfolio at the end of the program. The practicum course, as is the overall MSEL/A program, is a fully integrated on-line course using Blackboard for group discussion postings and assignment submissions. Other than a pre-semester on-campus orientation, students interact with each other and the instructor fully at a distance using internet and/or phone. This study included a content analysis using a mixed methods approach. Surveys and interviews were used for a more in-depth analysis of content. Descriptive statistics were used to collect demographic data.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-7531
Format: Thesis

Title: Contested Sites: 21st Century Romanian Playwrights' Hauntings.
Creator: Duncan, Jane G., Dahl, Mary Karen, Wynot, Edward, Salata, Kris, School of Theatre, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Using Carlson's theory that text can be considered "haunted" in the ways it recycles material already familiar to the audience, I suggest that Romanian playwrights writing after the year 2000 are highlighting the historical struggles/difficult past of the nation in an effort to "move on," perhaps specifically in conjunction with Romania's bid to enter the EU. I propose that Romanian playwrights are creating hauntings through their work, and in so doing, are entering into a poly-vocal dialogue...
Show moreUsing Carlson's theory that text can be considered "haunted" in the ways it recycles material already familiar to the audience, I suggest that Romanian playwrights writing after the year 2000 are highlighting the historical struggles/difficult past of the nation in an effort to "move on," perhaps specifically in conjunction with Romania's bid to enter the EU. I propose that Romanian playwrights are creating hauntings through their work, and in so doing, are entering into a poly-vocal dialogue about the nation. I offer myself as a bridge in the conversation, not to provide the reader with all of the answers about Romania, but to help complicate Americans' understanding of this nation.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-5604
Format: Thesis

Title: Context and Bio-Aware Mobile Applications.
Creator: Mitchell, Michael, Wang, An-I Andy, Tyson, Gary, Kumar, Piyush, Department of Computer Science, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The rapidly expanding capabilities of modern smartphones now enable the creation of new classes of applications for health, wellness, and entertainment. Data collected from on-board sensors, web services, social media and external biosensors can be integrated to determine the context of the device, user, and environment. These combined contexts allow the device to achieve a new level of awareness of the user and surroundings, thereby enabling the creation of rich, biologically driven...
Show moreThe rapidly expanding capabilities of modern smartphones now enable the creation of new classes of applications for health, wellness, and entertainment. Data collected from on-board sensors, web services, social media and external biosensors can be integrated to determine the context of the device, user, and environment. These combined contexts allow the device to achieve a new level of awareness of the user and surroundings, thereby enabling the creation of rich, biologically driven applications. This thesis introduces ContextProvider, which stores collected and derived context and offers a unified, query-able interface for all contextual data on the device. Unlike other context-based frameworks, ContextProvider offers interactive user feedback, self-adaptive sensor polling, and minimal reliance on third-party infrastructure. ContextProvider also allows for rapid development of new context and bio-aware applications. Through its design, implementation, and evaluation on the Android platform, ContextProvider has demonstrated the possibility of incorporating new monitoring sensors with fewer than 100 lines of Java code per sensor. With adaptive sensor monitoring, power consumption per active sensor can be reduced down to 1% overhead. Finally, with the use of context, accuracy of data interpretation can be improved by up to 80%.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-2376
Format: Thesis

Title: Prison Experiences, Social Ties, and Inmate Behavior: Examining Visitation and Its Effects on Incarceration and Reentry Outcomes.
Creator: Cochran, Joshua C., Mears, Daniel P., Radey, Melissa, Bales, William D., Siennick, Sonja E., Stewart, Eric A., College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: A large body of scholarship has focused on the factors that lead to improved prison social order and prisoner reentry outcomes. Research suggests that one such factor, social ties, are especially salient for helping individuals manage the myriad of challenges they face during incarceration and during the transition back into society. For example, social ties can help inmates cope with strain (Sykes 1958; Adams 1992), they can exert informal social control (Sampson and Laub 1993), they can...
Show moreA large body of scholarship has focused on the factors that lead to improved prison social order and prisoner reentry outcomes. Research suggests that one such factor, social ties, are especially salient for helping individuals manage the myriad of challenges they face during incarceration and during the transition back into society. For example, social ties can help inmates cope with strain (Sykes 1958; Adams 1992), they can exert informal social control (Sampson and Laub 1993), they can help offset negative social stigma (Pager 2003; Uggen et al. 2004), and they can assist inmates with the practical challenges associated with reintegration back into society and after release from prison (Petersilia 2003; Visher and Travis 2003; Maruna and Immarigeon 2004; Naser and La Vigne 2006; Berg and Huebner 2011). This diverse body of research has spurred scholars to examine how the maintenance of social ties during prison contributes to in-prison and reentry outcomes (Wolff and Draine 2004; Naser and La Vigne 2006; Cobbina et al. 2012). To this end, scholars have focused on inmate visitation because it provides access to social ties during incarceration (e.g., Ohlin 1951; Glaser 1964; Holt and Miller 1972; Hairston 1988; Bales and Mears 2008; Siennick et al. 2013). Indeed, with few exceptions, visitation provides the only opportunity for inmates to have direct contact with family, friends, and community members. In so doing, it affords inmates some ability to preserve, develop, or sustain ties to social networks outside of prison, and to have sources of social capital on which to draw during and after incarceration. This dissertation contributes to scholarship on prison visitation, prison experiences, and social ties in several ways. First, it examines systematically the heterogeneity of prison visitation and advances a conceptual framework for theorizing, evaluating, and guiding visitation research. Second, it explores who is visited in prison by testing the relationship between a range of individual- and community-level factors and the frequency of visitation. Third, it explores the longitudinal patterns of visitation that inmates experience and assesses the extent to which these patterns are associated with in-prison misconduct. Fourth, and finally, it tests the effects of different visitation patterns on the likelihood of recidivism. Data for this dissertation were provided by the Florida Department of Corrections and include detailed information for all convicted felony offenders released from Florida prisons between 2000 and 2002. The data have several attributes that make them ideal for this study: they include inmates from multiple facilities across a single state, males and females, and large proportions of inmates from different racial and ethnic groups. Most importantly, and unusual in prison studies, the data contain comprehensive records of visitation events, which allow for analyses that can examine visitation experiences longitudinally. Analyses of the data point to several key findings. They highlight the heterogeneity inherent in inmate visitation, they identify several factors that are associated with visitation, and they underscore the salience of visitation for improving in-prison and post-release outcomes. More broadly, the findings underscore the need for more systematic analysis of prison experiences and their effects on prison social order and reentry. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of additional implications of the findings for theory, research, and policy.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-7751
Format: Thesis

Title: Principal Preparation: Perceptions of School Leaders in Florida.
Creator: Burch, Allen, Irvin, Judith, Holcombe, Randall, Gawlik, Marytza, Hu, Shouping, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Individuals holding the post of principal come from different backgrounds, trainings, and levels of educational experience. Using the research surrounding the first nine Florida Principal Standards as the lens, this research examines to what extent school leaders perceive to be prepared for the role of principal as measured by the Florida Principal Standards, to what they attribute their preparation and if demographic factors impacted their perceptions. Ninety-six school leaders in a Florida...
Show moreIndividuals holding the post of principal come from different backgrounds, trainings, and levels of educational experience. Using the research surrounding the first nine Florida Principal Standards as the lens, this research examines to what extent school leaders perceive to be prepared for the role of principal as measured by the Florida Principal Standards, to what they attribute their preparation and if demographic factors impacted their perceptions. Ninety-six school leaders in a Florida school district participated in this study. The total group of participants consisted of thirty principals, twenty assistant principals in a county level training program and forty-six teacher leaders who were members of a county level leadership cohort. These school leaders participated in an online survey composed of the forty-four descriptor statements of the first nine Florida Principal Standards. Thus, data in this research project was comprised of survey results from these various administrative points of view. In addition to comparison of percentages of each group's responses, descriptive statistics and a Kruskal Wallis test was used determine scores of preparedness for teacher leaders, assistant principals and principals and if they differed in responses. After data was collected, it was analyzed and interpreted. Three county level administrators who work in leadership development and instruction were then interviewed and their responses were used to help determine meaning from the findings. Because principals face similar issues as they make the transition from an assistant to principal, understanding individual's perception of their training is a critical step in assisting leaders as they move upward and attempt to lead in today's school systems. Findings in this area will allow for discussion regarding the leader's perception of preparedness, the way in which principals are trained and perhaps increase the knowledge base about principal preparation.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-8744
Format: Thesis

Title: Context-Sensitive Semantic Segmentation.
Creator: Zhao, Nan, Liu, Xiuwen, Taylor, Kenneth A., Tyson, Gary Scott, Kumar, Piyush, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Computer Science
Abstract/Description: Recognizing and representing objects of certain categories become increasingly important due to the availability of high-resolution imaging technologies and the explosive amount of digital data. In particular, semantic segmentation of given data (i.e.: two dimensional images or three dimensional volumes) labels or extracts objects in the form of contiguous regions with similar semantic interpretation. Hence semantic segmentation offers great rewards from object recognition and image...
Show moreRecognizing and representing objects of certain categories become increasingly important due to the availability of high-resolution imaging technologies and the explosive amount of digital data. In particular, semantic segmentation of given data (i.e.: two dimensional images or three dimensional volumes) labels or extracts objects in the form of contiguous regions with similar semantic interpretation. Hence semantic segmentation offers great rewards from object recognition and image segmentation. However, the combination of difficulties from both fields also yields incredible computational challenges. In practice, the appearance of objects is under the influence of views, poses, colors, shapes, scales, occlusion, illumination conditions and intrinsic imaging limitations. Thus an ideal semantic segmentation should tolerate both the considerable intra-class variance and the noticeable inter-class similarities in terms of appearance. The primary contribution of this thesis is the investigation on context cues that may improve semantic segmentation. I first propose a novel two-stage framework to solve a special problem of semantic segmentation, in which the target objects are much more likely to be observable under the existence of context objects. In the first stage, global salient context objects are segmented using appearance features. The second stage formulates multiple types of context cues, followed by a model that combines both appearance and context cues. I then apply this framework to the problem of spike segmentation and tattoo segmentation, resulting in a cryo-electron tomogram segmentation system and a tattoo classification system. The first system allows biophysicists to significantly accelerate their data processing by replacing manual annotation with semi-automatic segmentation, whereas the second system explores for the first time the possibility of category-level tattoo classification by machine. As shown by these two systems, the proposed models outperform traditional object-centered models that purely focus on appearance features.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9504
Format: Thesis

Title: A Contextual Approach to Learning Orchestral Excerpts for Cello.
Creator: Staykova, Zlatina, Sauer, Gregory, Brewer, Charles, Bridger, Carolyn Ann, Newdome, Beth, College of Music, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The present document offers a contextual approach to learning orchestral excerpts for cello. The first step in this process is collecting basic information about the composer and his style, followed by the historical background of the work under discussion. The next step presents theoretical analyses of the pieces and more specific details on the compositional techniques. Finally, each chapter contains comments and suggestions on basic performance challenges found in the following excerpts:...
Show moreThe present document offers a contextual approach to learning orchestral excerpts for cello. The first step in this process is collecting basic information about the composer and his style, followed by the historical background of the work under discussion. The next step presents theoretical analyses of the pieces and more specific details on the compositional techniques. Finally, each chapter contains comments and suggestions on basic performance challenges found in the following excerpts: Beethoven–Symphony No. 5 (II. Andante con moto) and Symphony No. 8 (III. Tempo di Menuetto); Brahms–Symphony No. 2 (II. Adagio non troppo); Debussy–La Mer (I. De l'aube Ã midi sur la mer); Mendelssohn–Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night's Dream (Scherzo); Mozart–Symphony No. 35 Haffner (IV. Presto) and Symphony No. 40 (I. Molto Allegro); Strauss–Don Juan; Tchaikovsky–Symphony No. 4 (II. Andantino in modo di canzone); Verdi–Requiem (Offertorio). In this study, the author aims to create a broader perspective on the study of orchestral excerpts, in which the performance and preparation of orchestral repertoire is elevated to the art of chamber music playing. Although research alone into performance practice and how to perform a work in the appropriate style does not guarantee winning an audition, it is an important advantage during the preparation of the excerpts in terms of creating nuances in sound, vibrato and articulation. The knowledge gained through the analyses of the scores contributes to a better understanding of the composer's style. It also provides valuable information about the place and meaning of the excerpt within the movement as well as in the context of the whole work. An understanding of this information about a composer's style and work is not only helpful in successfully conveying specific musical ideas to the listener, it will also establish a whole different level of communication between the conductor and the musicians in the orchestra.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-1570
Format: Thesis

Title: Privatization and Economic Growth: The Case of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Creator: Edwards, Ransford Fonseca, Smith, Dale L., Block, Ray, Barrilleaux, Charles, Department of Political Science, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Does privatization of state-owned assets result in economic growth? This paper seeks to theoretically and empirically link this market reform strategy to the outcome of economic growth. By taking a deeper look at developing countries, particularly sub-Saharan Africa and juxtaposing institutional and economic variables I will be able to test the relationship between privatization and economic growth.
Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0598
Format: Thesis

Title: Constant Proportions Portfolio Strategies in an Evolutionary Context under a Dividend Factor Model.
Creator: Mavroudis, Konstantinos, Nolder, Craig, Schlagenhauf, Don, Beaumont, Paul, Case, Bettye Anne, Kercheval, Alec, Sumners, De Witt, Department of Mathematics, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: In this dissertation we explore the impact of various constant-proportions investment strategies in an economic evolutionary market. Dividends are generated according to a new Dividend Factor Model. Furthermore, Dividends were estimated and calibrated from data using Principal Component Analysis and Factor Analysis. Moreover, we perform simulations to study the long-run outcome of an evolutionary competition with several well diversified constant-proportions strategies, among them some...
Show moreIn this dissertation we explore the impact of various constant-proportions investment strategies in an economic evolutionary market. Dividends are generated according to a new Dividend Factor Model. Furthermore, Dividends were estimated and calibrated from data using Principal Component Analysis and Factor Analysis. Moreover, we perform simulations to study the long-run outcome of an evolutionary competition with several well diversified constant-proportions strategies, among them some innovative strategies. We present and compare a variety of simulations with dividends being artificially generated according to the many different versions of our model. Our simulation results are important for both theoretical and practical reasons. In theoretical terms we have a model where, although the true rational strategy is the only probable dominant strategy, it is also possible for some "behavioral" rules to perform better under specific circumstances. In practical terms we suggest new constant-proportions strategies that could be superior for investors at least in the short run.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-2654
Format: Thesis

Title: Constitutional Change in Local Governance: An Exploration of Institutional Entrepreneurs, Procedural Safeguards, and Selective Incentives.
Creator: Johnson, Linda S., Feiock, Richard C., Barrilleaux, Charles, Brower, Ralph, Berry, Fran, School of Public Administration and Policy, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This dissertation extends research in local governance constitutional change in a new direction and integrates several models of institutions to explain patterns of municipal charter change. This approach presents a new understanding of institutions, actors, and change in the municipal charter. One of the most important implications of this study is that multiple perspectives on the dynamics of local governance can be incorporated into a testable theory. This interconnection provides a...
Show moreThis dissertation extends research in local governance constitutional change in a new direction and integrates several models of institutions to explain patterns of municipal charter change. This approach presents a new understanding of institutions, actors, and change in the municipal charter. One of the most important implications of this study is that multiple perspectives on the dynamics of local governance can be incorporated into a testable theory. This interconnection provides a comprehensive and dynamic perspective of the competition for governance rules. This study differs from other studies of local constitutional change in five ways. First, the study concentrates on change in the most embedded level of the local institution, the local constitution. Second, it builds on Maser's (1998) transaction resource theory of local constitutional change by incorporating selective incentives for maintenance or change and including rejected proposed rules. Third, the study views all forms of charter change as constitutional change which allows the theory to include both charter revision and the more radical city-county consolidation as a continuum of local constitutional change. Fourth, the study integrates entrepreneurs and demanders of the status quo into the theory of competition for governance rules and procedural safeguards, extending Ostrom's Institutional Analysis Framework (1990). Finally, it moves entrepreneur studies to the constitutional level and argued that actors try to induce change in order to lock their preferences into the system. Two methods are used to provide empirical evidence of maintenance or change in the system. The first method, case studies allow in-depth explorations of complex entities for evidence of dynamics, but can be difficult in comparing multiple complex systems. The second method, Qualitative Comparative Analysis, a Boolean method, integrates complex multiple characteristics of system complexity with in-depth characteristics of diverse entities to explore the phenomenon. The central findings of the study focus on the choice of rules and the actors. In proposed consolidation charters, the electoral system rules that provide a safeguard for representation will be supported by minorities. Property owners, farmers, and business groups support rules that reduce the costs of government and protect their access to the governance structure.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-3557
Format: Thesis

Title: The Development and Validation of the Teachers Goals for Science Education Scale.
Creator: Hutner, Todd L., Southerland, Sherry, Gallard, Alejandro, Sampson, Victor, Davis, Frederick, School of Teacher Education, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Throughout the history of American public education, three competing goals have exerted their influence over the course of educational reform. The goal of democratic equality promotes education for civic participation and the creation of intellectually competent citizens. Social efficiency promotes education for a productive economy and the production of laborers to fill structurally necessary market roles. Social mobility promotes the creation of academic elites who can trade their...
Show moreThroughout the history of American public education, three competing goals have exerted their influence over the course of educational reform. The goal of democratic equality promotes education for civic participation and the creation of intellectually competent citizens. Social efficiency promotes education for a productive economy and the production of laborers to fill structurally necessary market roles. Social mobility promotes the creation of academic elites who can trade their educational credentials in later in life for desired social positions. The influence of these goals can also be seen during the continued calls for the reform of science education. Social mobility was the dominant goal during the National Science Foundation funded reforms of the 1950s. Social efficiency came to dominate reform discourse in the 1980s and early 1990s, stemming from the recommendations contained within the A Nation at Risk report. Lastly, democratic equality has come to dominate the current discourse of science for all, particularly through the emphasis on equity. Furthermore, each of the three goals produces a very different approach in how to most effectively teach science. Research findings indicate that teacher beliefs heavily influence teacher actions with regards to teaching science. As teachers are still implementing traditional forms of teaching (an approach that is easily aligned with social efficiency and social mobility, but not with democratic equality) it becomes important to find out which of the three goals are supported by science teachers. A scale was developed and validated in order to ascertain which goal—democratic equality, social efficiency, or social mobility—teachers favor and how teachers who believe in these goals react to the leading reform documents Science for All Americans and the National Science Education Standards. Two pilot studies with teachers in Texas and a final administration with teachers in Florida provided evidence for internal consistency reliability. A focus group with experts in science education provided evidence for construct and content validity. Two focus groups with practicing science teachers ensured the meaning of each item was interpreted in a similar fashion by both the researcher and the participants. Lastly, comparisons of teachers' qualitative comments regarding these three goals and their scores on the scale were used to provide evidence for convergent validity. It has been determined by the researcher that sufficient evidence for reliability and validity exists for the portion of the scale that measures which goals of education teachers believe in. However, not enough teachers indicated having familiarity with the reform documents to answer questions regarding the effectiveness of the recommendations put forth within these documents. Consequently, the section on the reform documents has not been validated. Upon the validation of the scale, it was found that the majority of science teachers in Florida believe in democratic equality, either solely or in conjunction with one of the other two goals. Implications arising from this research indicate that teachers may be receptive to the reform documents, but other pressures within the greater educational system prevent their contact with or enactment of reform-based methodologies. In order to enact the vision contained within the reform documents, a concerted effort must be made to bring about policy changes that promote an educational climate friendlier to democratic equality. Finally, it may also be necessary to modify the message contained within these documents so they are more compatible with social efficiency or social mobility belief systems.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-3382
Format: Thesis

Title: The Development of Alban Berg's Compositional Style: A Study of His Jugendlieder (1901-1908).
Creator: Adams, Sara Ballduf, Seaton, Douglass, Shaftel, Matthew, Brewer, Charles E., Glahn, Denise Von, College of Music, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This dissertation explores the compositional and stylistic development of Alban Berg (1885-1935), as demonstrated in his Jugendlieder, two volumes containing 81 art songs composed between 1901 and 1908. The biographical and cultural context in which they were composed is explained, and each volume of song manuscripts is separately described with respect to poetic, rhythmic, formal, melodic, and harmonic elements. The first 34 songs (volume 1, 1901-1904) demonstrate Berg's initial efforts to...
Show moreThis dissertation explores the compositional and stylistic development of Alban Berg (1885-1935), as demonstrated in his Jugendlieder, two volumes containing 81 art songs composed between 1901 and 1908. The biographical and cultural context in which they were composed is explained, and each volume of song manuscripts is separately described with respect to poetic, rhythmic, formal, melodic, and harmonic elements. The first 34 songs (volume 1, 1901-1904) demonstrate Berg's initial efforts to set German poetry to music. Due to his limited musical training and skill during these years, the earliest songs contain unconventional traits that would only be produced by a novice, but they also suggest that Berg modeled his compositions after nineteenth-century art songs, particularly those of Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms, which were performed in the family home by his siblings. Berg's first love was literature, and it is therefore not surprising that illustrating the poetic images in the texts appears to have been his primary focus. During the time when Berg composed the second volume of songs (1904-1908), he began to study music theory and composition with Arnold Schoenberg. As a result, the songs of the second phase reveal an improved understanding of tonality, chord function, and formal structure. The illustration of poetic topics, themes, and images remained a principal focus for Berg, but the texts were treated in a more subtle manner, allowing for the appearance of a greater concentration on musical devices. These songs implement exercises in variation techniques, rhythmic devices, chromaticism, and dissonance, pointing to the development of his personal style. Ultimately, this study demonstrates that the Jugendlieder served as the foundation upon which Berg cultivated the skills needed to develop a mature compositional style that balanced Romantic conventions and modern practices.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0115
Format: Thesis

Title: Development of Bilingual Communicative Competence Through Play: A Case Study.
Creator: Galeano, Rebecca, Hasson, Deborah, Uzendoski, Michael, Lupo-Anderson, Angela, Pappamihiel, Eleni, Department of Middle and Secondary Education, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This study examined ways in which a simultaneously bilingual child increased her productive communicative ability in her weaker language through interaction in pretend play with more capable peers. Resting in the framework of Vygotskian sociocultural theory, this case study focused on the language development of a four year old child as she engaged in unstructured play with peers ranging from 5-9 years old. In order to create a simulated immersion setting, the researcher and her family moved...
Show moreThis study examined ways in which a simultaneously bilingual child increased her productive communicative ability in her weaker language through interaction in pretend play with more capable peers. Resting in the framework of Vygotskian sociocultural theory, this case study focused on the language development of a four year old child as she engaged in unstructured play with peers ranging from 5-9 years old. In order to create a simulated immersion setting, the researcher and her family moved to a predominately Hispanic trailer park so their daughter could interact with other children through play. Play sessions were recorded 2 to 3 times per week over a five week period. Data was transcribed and analyzed using the CHILDES Child Language Data Exchange System. Analysis revealed ways in which peer playmates scaffolded linguistic production and participation. Production was scaffolded as playmates worked with the less proficient learner to collaboratively construct utterances by providing direct translations in Spanish, asking leading questions, and explicitly correcting mistakes through modeling. Scaffolding of participation occurred as playmates dictated lines to the less proficient peer and used phrases which cued her participation. Productive proficiency increased as the learner incorporated a range of different linguistic functions into her speech: describing ongoing events in the present tense, discussing past events using the preterit, expressing wants and needs, discussing preferences, expressing feelings, asking questions, describing objects or actions using adjectives and adverbs, using command forms to affect the behavior of peers, and using possessive adjectives, possessive pronouns, and object pronouns to specifically describe events. Analysis found that this child used her peers' speech as a mediational tool in order to verbally participate in interactions by incorporating linguistic structures, vocabulary and phrases into her own speech or repeating the speech of others. Other identified participation techniques included repetition of her utterances, asking playmates for direct translation or clarification, and using commands to gain attention in order to take the floor. Coping strategies were also identified. Findings also included ways in which playmates scaffolded the less proficient child's participation in the telling of collective narratives by providing topics, appropriating turns, and elaborating on content.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-4385
Format: Thesis

Title: Development of Carbon Nanotube/Carbon Fiber Multiscale Reinforcement Composites.
Creator: Davey, Kirk-Duval S., Liang, Richard, Okoli, Okenwa, Sands, James, Parker, Reginald, Wang, Ben, Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: High performance composites are currently being used in the marine, automotive, aerospace and defense industries. These industries demand materials with properties that are similar or better than conventional metals at a fraction of the weight. The development of nanoparticle reinforced composites is presently one of the most explored areas in materials science and engineering. The exceptional properties of nanoparticles have made them a focus of widespread research. By combining...
Show moreHigh performance composites are currently being used in the marine, automotive, aerospace and defense industries. These industries demand materials with properties that are similar or better than conventional metals at a fraction of the weight. The development of nanoparticle reinforced composites is presently one of the most explored areas in materials science and engineering. The exceptional properties of nanoparticles have made them a focus of widespread research. By combining nanoparticles with traditional reinforcement materials, multiscale composites can be produced with superior properties to that of regular composites. This research focuses on the development of multiscale reinforcement composites, through the use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), IM7 and T800 carbon fibers and SC-79 epoxy resin. Vacuum assisted resin transfer molding and hand lay-up/ vacuum bagging processes were evaluated for the manufacturing of multiscale composites. Results from this research showed that the use of carbon nanotubes can increase the tensile strength by up to 27% and toughness by up to 38%, with the addition of 2.5wt% multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). However there were no significant changes in the flexural properties with the addition of carbon nanotubes. Analysis of the fracture surfaces, using scanning electron microscopy showed that there was good dispersion of the carbon nanotubes through out the matrix material. The good dispersion of tubes aided in toughening the SC-79 epoxy resin. This toughening effect was evident though the change in crack propagation patterns on the fracture surface. There was also evidence of the nanotubes bridging cracks and holding resin particles together, which also lead to increased fracture toughness
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0823
Format: Thesis

Title: Development and Implementation of an NMR-Compatible 3-D Perfusion Bioreactor to Study HMSC Microenvironment.
Creator: Crowe, Jason J., Ma, Teng, Goldsby, Kenneth, Logan, Timothy, Grant, Samuel, Li, Hong, Program in Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Tissue engineering is one of the fastest growing biotechnology industries. The overarching research goals of the tissue engineering industry are highly intertwined with the field of medicine. The tissue engineering field seeks to create a variety of technologies that can be used in a clinical setting for tissue repair therapy. These technologies include everything from cell-based trophic factor therapies to engineered tissue grafts, and potentially engineered tissues. At the forefront of...
Show moreTissue engineering is one of the fastest growing biotechnology industries. The overarching research goals of the tissue engineering industry are highly intertwined with the field of medicine. The tissue engineering field seeks to create a variety of technologies that can be used in a clinical setting for tissue repair therapy. These technologies include everything from cell-based trophic factor therapies to engineered tissue grafts, and potentially engineered tissues. At the forefront of tissue engineering research is the extensive use of adult stem cells. Adult stem cells are located throughout the body and have the ability to differentiate into a variety of different tissue types. This plasticity enables adult stem cells to be used in a wide range of tissue engineering research. Despite all of the advancements made in the tissue engineering field, some obstacles still need to be overcome before tissue engineering can be used extensively as a clinical therapy for tissue damage and repair. One of the largest obstacles is the creation of tissue engineering technologies that mimic the existing human body conditions as close as possible. The creation of fully biomimetic tissue engineering technologies will increase the quality and functionality of the engineered grafts and therapies. The research presented will discuss the development and implementation of a biomimetic perfusion bioreactor. The reactor was designed to incorporate a number of environmental factors that play a large role in controlling cellular behaviors into a culture system capable of supporting the growth of a human mesenchymal stem cell construct. Furthermore, the reactor was constructed to allow the tissue construct to be studied in a non-invasive manner. This characteristic provides a way to keep the integrity of the cell construct throughout the experimentation process so it remains functional and viable until it is potentially needed for tissue therapy.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-2986
Format: Thesis

Title: Determinants of Success in Interorganizational Collaboration for Natural Resource Management.
Creator: Dedekorkut, Ayåin, Deyle, Robert E., Feiock, Richard C., Stiftel, Bruce, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Regional planning and management are problematic in many countries. Control over land and natural resources is fragmented among different levels of government and agencies with narrow missions. Interorganizational collaboration is advocated as a solution, but research to date has predominantly involved case studies with little theoretical rigor. The main objective of this study is to identify the determinants of success in interorganizational collaboration. There is extensive literature on...
Show moreRegional planning and management are problematic in many countries. Control over land and natural resources is fragmented among different levels of government and agencies with narrow missions. Interorganizational collaboration is advocated as a solution, but research to date has predominantly involved case studies with little theoretical rigor. The main objective of this study is to identify the determinants of success in interorganizational collaboration. There is extensive literature on why organizations collaborate, but what factors make collaborations successful is not well documented. To add to the knowledge of this field, this research integrates theory and empirical research from organizational theory, management studies, public administration, urban and regional planning, and environmental planning and natural resource management to define operational measures of successful collaborative planning and applies multivariate analysis to assess hypothesized determinants of success. Natural resource management provides a very good opportunity to examine this due to the fragmentation of administrative structure. However, the implications of the results are not limited to natural resource management. The findings will be useful in understanding collaborative planning and decision making in many other interorganizational settings including regional planning, metropolitan area planning, economic development, and growth management. Understanding what makes collaborations work is important, because despite the documented need to collaborate, many efforts take years to bear fruit, and most do not achieve much. I believe this is due to poor understanding of the collaboration process and its elements. If this process is thoroughly examined and the factors that lead to success are determined, it will help future collaboration efforts immensely by identifying the circumstances in which collaboration is most likely to succeed and the factors that can be manipulated to enhance the likelihood of success. The research methodology includes multivariate analysis of a mail survey of participants in 70 collaborative natural resource planning processes. Representatives of 3 to 4 organizations that collaborated in the development or revision of a management plan for one of six natural resource management program types were surveyed: (1) Remedial Action Plan development under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, (2) the National Estuary Program of the United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water, (3) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Sanctuary Program, (4) Habitat Conservation Plan development under the Endangered Species Act, (5) the Surface Water Improvement and Management Program of Florida Water Management Districts, and (6) National Estuarine Research Reserves administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The survey included questions on the measures and determinants of success identified from the collaboration literature as well as open-ended questions designed to help identify other ways to define success and other determinants of success. The dependent variable, success, is measured objectively and subjectively and includes responses to single survey questions as well as arithmetic average indices of four major theoretical categories (realization of goals, satisfaction of collaboration participants, enhanced interorganizational relations, and efficiency) and component-based scales. Principal Component Analysis was utilized to determine the elements of the components and their weights. The independent variables, determinants of success, are also grouped together by arithmetic average indices based on theoretical groupings as well as component-based scales. The determinants of success include member factors that are related to the participants in the collaboration, process factors that are related to discretion over the process of collaborating, and resource factors that may be beyond the control of the collaboration participants. The results of the multivariate regression analysis support the hypothesis that most of the member factors, process factors and resource factors influence the success of interorganizational collaboration. However, due to multicollinearity between the independent variables it is not possible to investigate the individual contributions of each factor to success. The models show clearly that the relationship between the parties, equity in decision making, participant characteristics (inclusion of all affected stakeholders, proportional representation, and effective leadership), agreement between the participants on ground rules and the scope of the collaboration, and ripeness of the issue are important for collaboration success no matter how success is measured.
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Date Issued: 2004
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0793
Format: Thesis

Title: Determination and Application of the Proton Chemical Shift Tensor by Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.
Creator: Truong, Milton L., Cross, Timothy A., Bertram, Richard, Brüschweiler, Rafael, Li, Hong, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Orientational restraints resulting from a wide range of anisotropic nuclear spin interactions such as chemical shifts, heteronuclear dipolar interactions, and quadrupolar interactions, have been widely used for determining the structures of peptides and proteins from aligned samples. The aligned samples have a unique orientation with respect to the magnetic field axis, such that the information from the orientation dependent nuclear spin interactions within a peptide plane allows for the...
Show moreOrientational restraints resulting from a wide range of anisotropic nuclear spin interactions such as chemical shifts, heteronuclear dipolar interactions, and quadrupolar interactions, have been widely used for determining the structures of peptides and proteins from aligned samples. The aligned samples have a unique orientation with respect to the magnetic field axis, such that the information from the orientation dependent nuclear spin interactions within a peptide plane allows for the characterization of the peptide plane orientation with respect to the alignment axis. By obtaining the orientations of all the peptide planes with respect to the same alignment axis, a model can be generated for the three-dimensional backbone conformation. Proton (1H) chemical shifts from solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) have been underutilized as an orientational restraint for backbone conformations in peptides and proteins. This is largely due to discrepancies in the model for the chemical shift tensors. A two dimension heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) sequence was developed to obtain accurate chemical shift tensors to form a useable model of the orientations of the principal axes of the amide 1H chemical shift. Further improvements to HETCOR were made to form the two dimensional pulse sequences, WIM-HETCOR and WIM-HETCOR Echo. Both WIM-HETCOR and WIM-HETCOR Echo pulse sequences incorporate a windowless isotropic mixing (WIM) sequence for cross polarization. WIM-HETCOR Echo was used to obtain the amide 1H CSA tensor element magnitudes for a representative dipeptide, alanyl-15N-leucine (AL). The orientation of the amide 1H CSA tensor was obtained by comparing simulated chemical shift correlation spectra with the experimental WIM-HETCOR Echo spectra. The variability and application of the 1H CSA tensor was explored using membrane peptides: gramicidin A and piscidin 1.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-1507
Format: Thesis

Title: Development and Validation of an Instrument to Evaluate Science Teachers' Assessment Beliefs and Practices.
Creator: Genc, Evrim, Gallard, Alejandro J., Ruscher, Paul H., Kamata, Akihito, Davis, Nancy T., Department of Middle and Secondary Education, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The primary purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to examine science teachers' assessment beliefs and practices in science classrooms. The study also investigated the relationship between teachers' beliefs and practices regarding assessment issues, the certain factors, influencing their assessment practices and teachers' feelings towards high-stakes testing. The participants of the study were 408 science teachers, teaching at middle and high school levels in the...
Show moreThe primary purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to examine science teachers' assessment beliefs and practices in science classrooms. The study also investigated the relationship between teachers' beliefs and practices regarding assessment issues, the certain factors, influencing their assessment practices and teachers' feelings towards high-stakes testing. The participants of the study were 408 science teachers, teaching at middle and high school levels in the State of Florida. Data were collected through two modes of administration of the instrument as a paper-and-pencil and a web-based form. The response rate for paper-and-pencil administration was estimated as 68% whereas the response for the web administration was found to be 27%. Results from the various dimensions of validity and reliability analyses revealed that the 24 item-four-factor belief and practice measures were psychometrically sound and conceptually anchored measures of science teachers' assessment beliefs and self-reported practices. Reliability estimates for the belief measure ranged from .83 to .91 whereas alpha values for the practice measure ranged from .56 to .90. Results from the multigroup analysis supported that the instrument has the same theoretical structure across both administration groups. Therefore, future researchers may use either a paper-and-pencil or web-based format of the instrument. This study underscored a discrepancy between what teachers believe and how they act in classroom settings. The majority of teachers reported that instruction time, class size, professional development activities, availability of school funding, and state testing mandates were the primary factors, influencing their assessment routines. Many teachers drew attention to several negative impacts and consequences of the high-stakes testing both on teaching and learning. Teachers stated that both the preparation process and the results of the test created unbelievable tension both on students and teachers. Implications of the study indicated that it would be valuable to conduct alignment studies to examine whether state tests are fully aligned with the state standards and classroom assessment. Perhaps, such analyses would assist state level decision makers in reconsidering the current policies and "unintended" influences of mandated tests on classroom practices.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-0126
Format: Thesis

Title: The Development and Validation of the Shared Mental Models in Team Sports Questionnaire.
Creator: Gershgoren, Lael, Tenenbaum, Gershon, Eccles, David, Mondello, Michael, Yang, Yanyun, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Shared Mental Models (SMM) is a dynamic team-related cognitive process that governs team coordination when communication is limited or absent. In team sports, where overt communication is limited, and many actions are reactive in nature, the importance of SMM is prominent. This notion is even more salient under pressure. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop and validate a SMM measure in team sports. At the onset of the validation process, items were generated based on an a...
Show moreShared Mental Models (SMM) is a dynamic team-related cognitive process that governs team coordination when communication is limited or absent. In team sports, where overt communication is limited, and many actions are reactive in nature, the importance of SMM is prominent. This notion is even more salient under pressure. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop and validate a SMM measure in team sports. At the onset of the validation process, items were generated based on an a priori model which emerged from a separate qualitative inquiry with elite coaches. Following two experts' examination of the relatedness of the items' content to SMM, the Shared Mental Models in Team Sports Questionnaire (SMMTSQ) was administrated to 372 Israeli student-athletes from seven interactive team sports (e.g., soccer, basketball, and volleyball). To validate the structure of the SMMTSQ model, a CFA procedure was employed. Reliability of the SMMTSQ and it scales was estimated using stratified alpha coefficient. In addition, Test-retest reliability was calculated using a subset of 118 student-athletes. Concurrent and predictive validity were examined using team cohesion and perceived performance questionnaires respectively. The results of this study validated the SMMTSQ as a shared cognitions measure. Following its content approval and data collection, the SMMTSQ demonstrated a good fit to the data. Furthermore, stratified alpha coefficients were greater than .90 for all the scales and for the measure as a whole. Test-retest reliability was .86 supporting its stability over 10 days on average. Moderately high correlations with the team cohesion and perceived performance questionnaires supported the concurrent and predictive validity of the SMMTSQ. Overall, the SMMTSQ emerged to be a good instrument for measuring shared cognitions in team sports. Through providing vital information pertaining to areas in which cognitions are shared or unshared in a team, intervention programs can be tailored. Future research may explore the suitability of the SMMTSQ to capture SMM across skill levels and cultures.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-4862
Format: Thesis

Title: Development of Continuous Manufacturing Process for Magnetically Aligned and Random Nanotube Buckypaper.
Creator: Ugarte, Johnnattan, Liang, Richard, Wang, Ben, Zhang, Chuck, Park, Young-Bin, Brooks, James, Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Fiber-reinforced composites are becoming more popular due to their high strength to weight ratio, making them a suitable replacement for traditional metals for lightweight applications. However, for applications where electro-conductivity and thermo-conductivity are required, fiber-reinforced composites lack the necessary properties without adding parasitic components. As a result of extensive research, high performance carbon nanotube-reinforced composites are considered as one of the key...
Show moreFiber-reinforced composites are becoming more popular due to their high strength to weight ratio, making them a suitable replacement for traditional metals for lightweight applications. However, for applications where electro-conductivity and thermo-conductivity are required, fiber-reinforced composites lack the necessary properties without adding parasitic components. As a result of extensive research, high performance carbon nanotube-reinforced composites are considered as one of the key solutions to this issue, with buckypapers serving as the central constituent. Buckypapers are thin membranes of well-dispersed networks of nanotubes held together by van der Waals forces. Buckypapers are considered as one of the promising candidates for incorporating nanotubes into composite manufacturing due to their ease of handling and the ability to transfer the properties of the nanotubes into the resultant composites. Buckypapers enable thermal and electro-conductivity in ranges not possible using fiber composites alone. The objective of this research is to develop an effective, affordable manufacturing process capable of continuously fabricating buckypaper materials to meet market demands, as well as property and quality requirements from the consumers. The batch method of buckypaper manufacturing processes have been investigated and standardized by previous studies. Successful results under the standardized process have been adopted to pilot buckypaper production. Such studies have also attracted the interest of industrial consumers who require large-scale manufacturing, and continuity of buckypaper materials, which are not offered by the current batch method. Through the development of four generations of prototypes, this research has successfully designed and fabricated the Nano Material Continual Integration System (NM-CIS), a filtration system capable of producing high quality continuous buckypaper materials. A prototype to produce continuous 1.5in wide buckypapers of randomly-dispersed SWNTs has been successfully developed. Furthermore, the research has characterized the physical and electrical properties and compared them with current batch-production buckypapers. The results indicate that the continuous manufacturing processes have the potential to scale-up production of continuous buckypaper products to achieve desired quality, continuity and affordability for potential industrial applications. Furthermore, the research has designed and fabricated the MA-CIS system to fabricate continuous magnetically aligned buckypaper materials, and the W-CIS system to produce 11-in wide-buckypaper
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-1466
Format: Thesis

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