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Come Hell or High Fever: Readying the World’s Megacities for Disaster. By Russell, W. Glenn. Canberra, Australia: Australian University Press, 2023.
No full textCommencement Convocation Program, USF, August 8, 2023
No full textKing O\u27Neal Scholars - Emma Grace Atherton, Alisa Bakieva, Ginelle Renae Lauryn Brown, Tatyana Soribel Butler, Carter E. Casko, Carli Lilibeth Cohoon, Sarah Lou Shalom Dasent Shuler, Carlos Manuel Figueroa Palomino, Lanette Gonzalez-Lewis, Grace Angelique Heeke, Daniel Thomas Kortenhaus, Emily Margaret Logan, Makayla Long, Abigail Clariece McCurter, Elijah Callaway Mceuen, Sofia Elizabeth Mejia-Naccarato, Rachel Yvonne Stanton, Edward B. Williams, and Parisa Yazdankhah Kenary; Global Citizens Award - Sarah Bagnasco, Sydney Black, Carly Burton, Gladys D. Cantu, Sara Chaj, Lauren Flannery, Emily Hernandez, Anagha Hesaraghatta, Faith Pinamang, Katie Sarnelli, Natalie Spanhake, Kenya A. Sanchez Torres, and Neha Vemurihttps://digitalcommons.usf.edu/graduation_programs/1194/thumbnail.jp
Selective Framing and Narrative as Anthropocentric Agents in \u3cem\u3eYellowstone: America’s Eden\u3c/em\u3e
No full textYellowstone: America’s Eden is but one example of nature documentaries tackling the complexities of nature-culture relationships during the age of the Anthropocene. Yellowstone National Park, the first to be named, is a primary example of how our relationship to the natural world developed through conservation and commodification. Yellowstone: America’s Eden demonstrates how film techniques conceal nature as a human construct through selective framing and narrative. By analyzing editing techniques made in the representation of Yellowstone National Park, this thesis bridges anthropocentrism to nature documentaries. Drawing on interdisciplinary research from media studies, environmental humanities, and anthropology, this thesis analyzes the ways in which selective framing and narrative shape the viewer’s perception of the natural world. This research demonstrates how the film techniques reinforce anthropocentrism within the documentary, specifically showing how the film inadvertently reinforces a hierarchical view of the natural world, relegating nonhuman beings to secondary roles. The film’s production was during the emergence of the Anthropocene, qualifying it as a base to discuss the broader implications of the epoch term and how human-centric narrative in nature documentaries contribute to hierarchical thinking
How Feeling Like a Minority Affects Preferences for Autonomous Digital Interfaces
No full textThis dissertation examines the novel aspect of minority perception and how feeling-like-a-minority influences the consumption of digital interfaces in a service context. The focus on the perception of minority consumers is important given greater emphasis on minority-related issues catalyzed by recent social events. Examining the effects on the choice likelihood for digital interfaces such as service robots is also relevant given the increasing widespread use of such technology. The findings across eight studies including six online studies and two field experiments demonstrate that individuals who perceive themselves as a minority in a service setting show defensive behavior by choosing a non-human (e.g., robot) service provider over a human service provider, with self-esteem mediating the effect
A Seismic Investigation of Uturuncu Volcano and the Lazufre Volcanic Complex
No full textThe following dissertation is a study of three seismological techniques used to determine the geophysical properties of two large, inflating magma bodies in the upper crust in South America: one under Uturuncu volcano and one beneath Lastarria and Cordon del Azufre volcanoes. First, I use the method of teleseismic receiver functions to image the top and bottom of the magma body beneath Uturuncu volcano. Depths to the top of this body vary between 6 and 12 km below sea level, while depths to the bottom vary between 13 and 22 km below sea level, with the thickness ranging from 6 to 15 km. Then, I compute hypocenters and classify the earthquakes occurring between Lastarria and Cordon del Azufre volcanoes to determine if a magma body between them is priming for eruption or if it may be feeding a shallower magma chamber beneath Lastarria. My classification scheme consisted of five types of seismic events: volcano-tectonic, long period type 1, long period type 2, hybrid, and unknown. The majority of these events are above 10 km below sea level, and most are near Lastarria. I determine that this seismic activity is due to mobile gases and fluids. Finally, I use an attenuation method to study the heterogeneity of the crust between Uturuncu volcano and the magma body beneath it. The assumptions of the method used are undermined by the variability of the earthquake sources and their spectra as well as by extreme geological heterogeneity of this location
Observed Error Monitoring as an Index of Theory of Mind
No full textTo thrive within our social environment, we must understand and learn from those around us. Theory of Mind (ToM) refers to our ability to put ourselves in other’s shoes to comprehend what they are thinking. Observed error monitoring (OEM) refers to detecting others’ mistakes in real time, which is ultimately thought of as a mechanism that supports our learning from those mistakes without personally having committed them. Current findings suggest that both ToM and OEM are dependent on one another when engaging in social learning. We first emulate the mental state of others to understand their goals motivations. We then monitor for errors in their behavior, determining if their actions align with their goals. In this way, we are able to learn vicariously through the mistakes of others. The relationship between ToM and OEM has not yet been directly studied in a healthy sample. The aim of the study was to validate OEM as an index of ToM performance. OEM was measured using two event-related potentials (ERPs), the observed error-related negativity (oERN) and the observed feedback-related negativity (oFRN), with a social go/no-go task. ToM was measured by the hinting task (HT) and the faux pas recognition test (FPRT). A final sample of thirty-six undergraduate participants from the University of South Florida was used for analysis. The HT as a predictor for the oERN trended towards significance and was found to be negatively correlated with the oERN after adding in combined household income as a control variable post-hoc. No other relationships were observed for the main predictions of the study. The results suggest that the oERN may be a viable predictor of ToM performance while the oFRN may not be a sensitive enough to measure to detect this relationship
Framing, Emotion, and Contradiction in the\u3cem\u3e Tampa Bay Times’ \u3c/em\u3eClimate Change Coverage
No full textHow the media covers climate change is a crucial issue because it can impact public opinion and influence policy, and local newspapers are an understudied yet essential source of media. Previous media research has utilized framing approaches, considered ideology and hegemony, and begun to seriously examine emotion. The purpose of this research project is to synthesize these approaches to examine how the Tampa Bay Times covers climate change. Using research questions that focus on how the coverage is framed and how emotion is used, I collected two samples of articles from different newspaper sections and conducted textual analysis. I identify four themes that reflect how articles framed climate change coverage: climate change is real, the Anthropocene vs. its alternatives, small picture vs. big picture, and business as usual vs. calls for action. I also describe how emotion is used or not used: emotion is evoked when covering activists and describing disasters, emotion is utilized in contradictory ways among and within articles, and emotion is frequently absent from articles. In the discussion, I argue that the results reflect a “smorgasbord coverage” approach – perhaps a consequence of the Tampa Bay Times’ need to appeal to a wide audience – and discuss the implications of this approach. I also demonstrate how the results connect to and extend previous literature and offer directions for future research
Intimate Conversations: A Mixed-Methods Study of African American Father-Adolescent Sexual Risk Communication
No full textBackground: Approximately 50% of African American (AA) high school students are sexually active and a large proportion of sexually active AA students report engaging in sexual risk behaviors such as not using condoms at last intercourse. Consequently, AA adolescents in the United States experience outcomes of risky sexual behaviors at high rates. Evidence shows parents have an effect on shaping adolescent attitudes, values, and beliefs regarding sex through sexual risk communication (SRC). Although parent-adolescent SRC is associated with reductions in sexual risk behaviors among AA adolescents, research has primarily focused on mothers. While parents acknowledge that SRC is traditionally viewed as the mother’s responsibility, many feel that father-adolescent SRC is important. Additionally, there is a dearth of literature focused on father-adolescent SRC among AAs.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify and describe factors that contribute to the sexual risk communication behaviors of AA fathers of 13-17 year old adolescents. SRC in this study will include communication regarding abstaining from sexual intercourse, condom and contraceptive use, and having multiple sexual partners. SRC behaviors will include content of communication, timing of communication, and context of communication. This study will seek to accomplish two aims: (1) to identify and describe factors that influence AA fathers’ SRC and (2) to assess the association between AA fathers’ information seeking behaviors and SRC with their 13-17 year old adolescent.
Methods: This study applied a convergent parallel mixed-methods approach. Partnerships were formed with community organizations and businesses to recruit AA fathers of 13-17 year-old adolescents. Participants completed an online quantitative survey assessing informational, motivational, and perceived behavioral skills related to SRC. In-depth interviews were conducted with a subset of fathers to gain further insight on factors that may contribute to AA fathers’ SRC behaviors. Both the in-depth interview and quantitative survey were guided by constructs from the Information, Motivation, and Behavior Skills Model and the Theory of Motivated Information Management. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected during a single phase of the research study, analyzed separately, and interpreted together to understand where the data converged and diverged.
Results: From February 2021-May 2022, a total of 101 African American fathers completed the online survey, and 20 African American fathers completed an in-depth interview through video-conferencing software. The majority of participants had greater than a high school education (86% on survey and 90% in interviews), were employed (91% on survey and 100% in interviews), and were married (93% on survey and 85% in interviews). A large proportion of participants reside in the state of Georgia (58% on survey and 75% in interviews). Overall, participants reported discussing at least one SRC topic with their adolescent (94% on the survey and 90% in interviews). Participants discussed a variety of sexual risk related topics such as abstinence, how to know when you’re ready to have sex, sexual intercourse, using a condom, birth control, getting pregnant, the dangers of have multiple sex partners, and STIs and HIV. On average, participants discussed at least 8 topics related to sex. The average age fathers initiated SRC with their adolescent was 12 years old. Father education was associated with the number of topics discussed and frequency of attendance at worship services was associated with the age at which SRC was initiated. While black fathers discussed several sexual risk-related topics with their adolescents, interviews revealed that there are opportunities to increase their knowledge of sexual risk prevention and reproduction. Additionally, fathers reported engaging in both direct and indirect information seeking on the survey and in the interviews.
Implications: This work has several implications for public health policy, research, and practice. First, the results from this study underscore the need to assess AA fathers’ knowledge of specific sexual risk prevention and reproduction facts. Additionally, it is important for future work to explore the use of communication theories to understand the process of father-adolescent SRC. Implications for practice include the need for medical providers to incorporate parents in their education of adolescents regarding puberty and sexual risk reduction. Practice implications include ensuring parents are incorporated in in adolescent sexual risk reduction programming. Policy implications include the support of legislation proposing comprehensive sexual health education that include a parental component. These steps would help to provide consistent and constant sexual risk prevention messaging for adolescents from multiple sources as well as provide fathers with resources to aid in SRC with their adolescent
Magneto-LC resonance technology for real-time respiratory motion monitoring
No full textA non-contact respiratory monitoring system, method, and sensor are disclosed. The system includes a magnet and a sensor including a coil made of magnetic microwire. The magnetic microwire sensor coil is configured to detect motion of the magnet relative to the magnetic sensor coil. An alternating voltage across the magnetic microwire sensor coil is modified by a change in impedance of the magnetic microwire sensor coil caused by the change in the distance of the magnet from the magnetic microwire sensor coil. The non-contact respiratory monitoring method includes changing a distance of a magnet from a magnetic sensor coil. The sensor includes a coil composed of high quality melt-extracted amorphous microwire
System and method for joint radar-sensing and communication waveform utilizing unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM)
No full textA system and method utilizing a novel waveform structure based on unique word (UW)—orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is proposed for the applications of joint radar-sensing and communication (JRC). A predetermined chirp sequence is used as the UW in the waveform. The predetermined chirp sequence is used to perform radar functionality, which also increases power efficiency of linear power amplifier that is critical for radar applications