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"Dawn and Doom Were in the Branches": Religious Tension in Zora Neale Hurston's Their eyes Were Watching God and Ernest J. Gaine's A Gathering of Old Men
Title
"Dawn and Doom Were in the Branches": Religious Tension in Zora Neale Hurston's Their eyes Were Watching God and Ernest J. Gaine's A Gathering of Old Men.
Creator
Benson, Kathryn A., College of Arts & Sciences
Abstract / Description
Given that religion, specifically Christianity, plays such an important role in the creation, definition, and maturation of both Hurston ' s and Gaines’s characters, I believe it is imperative to evaluate the role that this religion plays in the lives of the black characters in two seminal texts by these two authors. Clearly religious concerns are at work throughout both texts, so too, then, is the issue of race in that the black characters, via their enslaved ancestors, inherited...
Show moreGiven that religion, specifically Christianity, plays such an important role in the creation, definition, and maturation of both Hurston ' s and Gaines’s characters, I believe it is imperative to evaluate the role that this religion plays in the lives of the black characters in two seminal texts by these two authors. Clearly religious concerns are at work throughout both texts, so too, then, is the issue of race in that the black characters, via their enslaved ancestors, inherited Christianity as they knew it from white slaveholders. Thus, the study of Christianity in the lives of black Southern characters necessarily must also address racism. This analysis, then, speaks to the role that white Christian ideology plays in the shaping of black Southern characters, in terms of both identity and religion.
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Date Issued
2007
Identifier
fgcu_ETD_0465
Format
Document (PDF)
American Green Caviar: Analysis of sea grape algae (Caulerpa racemosa var. peltata) for bio-filtration and valuable co-production
Title
American Green Caviar: Analysis of sea grape algae (Caulerpa racemosa var. peltata) for bio-filtration and valuable co-production.
Creator
Gamel, Matt, College of Arts & Sciences
Abstract / Description
Rising global demand for seafood and declining catches have resulted in the volume of mariculture doubling each decade. The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) expects such a growth to persist in the years to come. This exponential growth has created a subsequent need to find alternative solutions to wastewater generation. The use of marine algae as bio-filters for aquaculture wastewater treatment has been shown to be an efficient and cost effective strategy. For...
Show moreRising global demand for seafood and declining catches have resulted in the volume of mariculture doubling each decade. The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) expects such a growth to persist in the years to come. This exponential growth has created a subsequent need to find alternative solutions to wastewater generation. The use of marine algae as bio-filters for aquaculture wastewater treatment has been shown to be an efficient and cost effective strategy. For this study, I selected Caulerpa racemosa (commonly known as sea grape algae) as a potential bio-filtration candidate for the mitigation of aquaculture effluent. Sea grapes are highly valued in Asian and South-Pacific cuisine, where they are referred to as green caviar. They are also high in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, representing a possible new marketing angle as a “super food.” This alga has been largely excluded from western markets, as the Pacific varieties are known invasives in the Atlantic basin. For this reason, I decided to utilize the native Floridian variety, which is poorly researched, despite being present throughout the Caribbean and parts of South America. For my study, I conducted laboratory growth trials to determine optimal conditions for both irradiance and nutrient concentrations. Floridian C. racemosa was found to be highly adaptable to a wide range of irradiance and nutrient regimes, with nutrient uptake efficiency greater than 90%. A clear set of optimal parameters could not be defined, however, as the treatment results were not significantly different. This finding demonstrates the high adaptability and resilience of this species. For the final trials, I constructed a 1500-L outdoor recirculating aquaculture system, raising juvenile pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides). The setup was designed to serve as a proof of concept, to test how good C. racemosa performed outside of the laboratory. The study produced mixed results, but found that a 4:1 fish to seaweed wet weight ratio was ideal in maintaining stable nutrient levels. Overall, the results designate C. racemosa as a strong candidate for commercial bio-filtration, and as a possible cash crop for the domestic sushi and algal supplement industries.
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Date Issued
2017
Identifier
Gamel_fgcu_1743_10258
Format
Document (PDF)
ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATOR’S PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR NEEDS TO BEST SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA COMMUNITY
Title
ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATOR’S PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR NEEDS TO BEST SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA COMMUNITY.
Creator
Rolfe, Allison Elizabeth, College of Arts & Sciences
Abstract / Description
According to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (2010), the demand for STEM-educated teachers in the United States is increasing. With limited time and space in the general classroom setting, Environmental Education (EE) is becoming increasingly more important to the education system. The Environmental Education Alliance of Southwest Florida (EE Alliance) is a community of practice that relies on participation of local experts to create successful environmental...
Show moreAccording to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (2010), the demand for STEM-educated teachers in the United States is increasing. With limited time and space in the general classroom setting, Environmental Education (EE) is becoming increasingly more important to the education system. The Environmental Education Alliance of Southwest Florida (EE Alliance) is a community of practice that relies on participation of local experts to create successful environmental education programs. This study identifies the needs of environmental education in Southwest Florida through the EE Alliance by eliciting the perspectives of local EE professionals. A survey was sent to a total of 219 participants of the EE Alliance listserv; 50 responses were received. This study collects quantitative data from Likerttype survey response as well as qualitative data obtained from open response comments sections. The study identifies the perceived needs of material resources (resources that can be bought with funding), human resources (the knowledge, amount, and adequacy of staff), and social resources (the ability to create partnerships, relationships, and professional development opportunities) in order to run successful environmental education programs.
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Date Issued
2017
Identifier
Rolfe_fgcu_1743_10265
Format
Document (PDF)
Externalizing Disorders and Violent Juvenile Crime
Title
Externalizing Disorders and Violent Juvenile Crime.
Creator
Brown, Erika, College of Arts & Sciences
Abstract / Description
This thesis presents a comparative study that investigates the possibility of a relationship between the diagnosis of conduct disorder (CD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), intermittent explosive disorder (IED), or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (e.g., all of which are categorized as externalizing disorders) and juvenile violent crime. Previous research documents the frequency of externalizing disorders in the juvenile offender population and the behaviors associated...
Show moreThis thesis presents a comparative study that investigates the possibility of a relationship between the diagnosis of conduct disorder (CD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), intermittent explosive disorder (IED), or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (e.g., all of which are categorized as externalizing disorders) and juvenile violent crime. Previous research documents the frequency of externalizing disorders in the juvenile offender population and the behaviors associated with violent crimes (Cashman & Thomas, 2016; Shepherd & Purcell, 2015; Pullmann, 2009; Kim et al., 2017). Currently, there is a lack of research that explores the relationships between specific diagnoses and specific types of crimes in juvenile populations. In this thesis eight case studies are qualitatively analyzed for externalizing behaviors, the severity and frequency of the violence, the type of aggression, and the victim(s). The case studies revealed that defiance and impulsivity are the behaviors seen in the externalizing cases, whereas aggression and irritability are the behaviors seen in the non-externalizing cases.
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Date Issued
2020-10-19
Identifier
fgcu_ETD_0349
Format
Document (PDF)
Fish Community Responses Following Restoration of Vallisneria americana in the Caloosahatchee River
Title
Fish Community Responses Following Restoration of Vallisneria americana in the Caloosahatchee River.
Creator
Cooper, Charles Michael, College of Arts & Sciences
Abstract / Description
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) has long been recognized as a critical habitat for macrofauna and megafauna in freshwater and estuarine ecosystems. Historical and current anthropogenic activities such as canal construction, land development, and water management have had destructive impacts on SAV in the Caloosahatchee River and estuary. Large scale alterations to flow rates, salinity fluctuations, nutrient loading, an expansion of the watershed, and dredging activities have led to a...
Show moreSubmerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) has long been recognized as a critical habitat for macrofauna and megafauna in freshwater and estuarine ecosystems. Historical and current anthropogenic activities such as canal construction, land development, and water management have had destructive impacts on SAV in the Caloosahatchee River and estuary. Large scale alterations to flow rates, salinity fluctuations, nutrient loading, an expansion of the watershed, and dredging activities have led to a substantial decrease of Vallisneria americana in the Caloosahatchee River. This study focused on three oligohaline locations of the river that underwent restoration of Vallisneria americana, amounting to 20 acres of SAV restoration. Understanding fish communities and associated changes in diversity and abundance is critical in assessing the success of the restoration. Pre-restoration assessments of the fish community in 2018 and early 2019 were compared to post-restoration assessments of the fish community in 2019 for each of the sites. Multiple types of passive and active fish traps were deployed throughout the sampling period. Data were interpreted using univariate statistical techniques and multivariate statistical techniques to examine diversity and abundance of the fish. After initial sampling, the effective passive traps were narrowed down to Breder traps, mesh umbrella traps, and crayfish traps. Active trapping methods initially involved seining and cast netting. Cast nets were found to be ineffective and were not continued. After restoration of Vallisneria americana and introduction of herbivore exclusion cages, seining was more difficult due to the placement of cages and was only utilized once after restoration. Alternative active trapping methods were added: hook and line sampling, trawling, and electroshocking. Electroshocking was found to be the most efficient at capturing large numbers of individuals of many different species. Trawling was found to be moderately effective and hook and line sampling was found to be largely ineffective. For the consistently utilized passive trapping techniques, individual locations did show some variability, but the mean species richness appeared to follow the similar trends as the Control Site over time. For the three consistently utilized passive trapping techniques, a drop in average species richness was seen for the mean of all restored sites and the Control Site. The largest lifts in total abundance were seen in the two downstream locations, Site 1 and the Control Site. Multivariate analyses by site for the pooled pre and post-restoration data indicates that all sites were similar in pre-treatment and differences emerged in post-treatment. Post-treatment similarity appeared to be related to geographical position in the river, with downstream sites showing similarity and upstream sites showing similarity. Such trends might also be related to lack of exclosures which may have affected the establishment of Vallisneria americana at Site 1. Disaggregation of data into individual sampling events indicated two significant groups in the cluster analysis at the p<0.1 level, largely grouping by time, regardless of treatment type. Electroshocking of the sites showed that species richness, abundance, and catch per unit effort (CPUE) increased in the restored sites farther upriver, although not all trends were statistically significant. Abundance and biomass of common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) was statistically significant, with more were captured in upstream sites. The larger numbers in the upstream locations is potentially a result of geographical location or as a result of the presence of cages as structure. Seining abundances significantly increased at all sites when comparing the first seining session to the one post restoration sampling. Seining richness also increased across each site, but the results were not statistically significant. The ecological lifts (richness or abundance) occurring at all sites, including the Control Site, indicates that such changes were likely related to external factors. The lack of significant differences in fish species diversity or abundance following the initial restoration plantings does not signify a failure of the project. Geographical differences of the sites and the lack of long-term data might also mean that lifts in the fish community are difficult to observe and quantify in the short-term. The monitoring of changes in fish abundance and diversity can inform future restoration efforts. Additionally, this research highlights effective methods to record fish abundance and diversity. Restoring SAV will allow future generations to enjoy improved aesthetics, enhanced recreation, a sustainable economy, sustainable fisheries, and most importantly to have a healthy environment to live in that fuel’s happiness and wellbeing. Quantifying changes in diversity and abundance is also of interest to fishermen who are looking to catch more species of fish, ecologists looking to restore ecosystems, and local, state, and federal governments seeking justification for allocating resources to restoration.
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Date Issued
2020-08-19
Identifier
fgcu_ETD_0347
Format
Document (PDF)
Fragile Spectres: How Women of Victorian Britain used the Occult and Spiritualist Movement to Create Autonomy
Title
Fragile Spectres: How Women of Victorian Britain used the Occult and Spiritualist Movement to Create Autonomy.
Creator
Drew, Danielle Jean, College of Arts & Sciences
Abstract / Description
This research observes and illustrates ways in which British women of the mid- to late-nineteenth century used the occult revival and spiritualist movements of the Victorian period to generate spiritual, physical, and financial autonomy for themselves in a culture that sought to confine middle-class women to the home. Using the stories of women in the occult and spiritualist movements, namely the stories of Georgiana Houghton, Emma Hardinge Britten, and Rosa Campbell Praed, this thesis shows...
Show moreThis research observes and illustrates ways in which British women of the mid- to late-nineteenth century used the occult revival and spiritualist movements of the Victorian period to generate spiritual, physical, and financial autonomy for themselves in a culture that sought to confine middle-class women to the home. Using the stories of women in the occult and spiritualist movements, namely the stories of Georgiana Houghton, Emma Hardinge Britten, and Rosa Campbell Praed, this thesis shows that middle class mediums generated more independence and autonomy for themselves by embracing this new cultural movement through the practice of seance, mediumship, public lecture, and publication, in contrast to their non-occultist and non-spiritualist female counterparts.
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Date Issued
2017-04-19
Identifier
Drew_fgcu_1743_10239
Format
Document (PDF)
Survival and Growth of Eastern Oyster Spat, Crassostrea virginica, when Exposed to Low Salinity for Prolonged Periods with Short Intervals of Recovery at Higher Salinities
Title
Survival and Growth of Eastern Oyster Spat, Crassostrea virginica, when Exposed to Low Salinity for Prolonged Periods with Short Intervals of Recovery at Higher Salinities.
Creator
Hans, Samuel, College of Arts & Sciences
Abstract / Description
The Caloosahatchee River and Estuary in Southwest Florida has a history of human driven alterations by dredging, channelization, construction of several lock and dams, and an artificial connection to Lake Okeechobee. Water management has changed the quality and quantity of discharges into the river and the ecological health of the estuary. The artificial connection to Lake Okeechobee sometimes requires large freshwater releases into the Caloosahatchee River. The euryhaline species in the...
Show moreThe Caloosahatchee River and Estuary in Southwest Florida has a history of human driven alterations by dredging, channelization, construction of several lock and dams, and an artificial connection to Lake Okeechobee. Water management has changed the quality and quantity of discharges into the river and the ecological health of the estuary. The artificial connection to Lake Okeechobee sometimes requires large freshwater releases into the Caloosahatchee River. The euryhaline species in the Caloosahatchee River face osmotic challenges from these freshwater inputs. The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is a keystone species that can provide an indication of estuary response to freshwater inflow and the resulting salinity fluctuations. A valued ecosystem component, the eastern oyster, helps sustain the ecological structure and function of the estuary by providing food, living space, and foraging sites for other estuarine species. Oyster spat, newly settled oysters <25mm, have an optimal salinity range of 15‰ to 22.5‰ and exposure to low salinity levels for long periods of time causes mortality. High temperatures (300C), which occur during the summer and rainy season, have a synergistic effect on low salinity stress. As part of a larger study to investigate how to improve water management to sustain oyster reefs in the Caloosahatchee River while managing the lake levels, this project examined oyster spat survival and growth during exposure to low salinity levels with intermittent recovery periods at higher salinity. This study carried out iterative bioassays to determine the longest duration (i.e., consecutive days) that oysters can be exposed to some minimum salinity (0‰-5‰, where valves will likely remain closed) with the shortest periods of recovery (10‰) to survive and grow. The results of this study clearly show that Crassostrea virginica spat exhibited improved survival rates and growth when given periods of recovery at a tolerable salinity after being stressed by prolonged low salinity conditions both with and without thermal stress. Spat reach greater than 50% survival when stressed at 5‰ for less than seven days and are allowed periods of recovery at a salinity of 10‰ or higher under thermal stress. Without thermal stress 50% survival was observed in spat that were stressed for less than 14 days at a salinity of 5‰ and allowed periods of recovery at a salinity of 10‰ or higher. The longer the recovery period at both 25oC and 30oC, the better the results tended to be in matching or exceeding growth in the negative stress controls held at 25‰. A ≥14-day period of recovery should always be targeted regardless of exposure duration in order to ensure oyster spat growth.
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Date Issued
2020-12-08
Identifier
fgcu_ETD_0350
Format
Document (PDF)
The Impact of Social Media on Depression in 18-34-Year-Olds in the United States
Title
The Impact of Social Media on Depression in 18-34-Year-Olds in the United States.
Creator
Krylova, Daria, College of Arts & Sciences
Abstract / Description
The purpose of this study was to better understand the relationship between social media use and depression, by helping eliminate any inconsistencies from prior findings and expanding the research to include other possible contributing factors that have yet to be explored. Participants consisted of 18-34-year-olds residing in the United States. The study was conducted through an online survey on SurveyMonkey. Participants (N = 198) reported that there are several potential causal factors of...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to better understand the relationship between social media use and depression, by helping eliminate any inconsistencies from prior findings and expanding the research to include other possible contributing factors that have yet to be explored. Participants consisted of 18-34-year-olds residing in the United States. The study was conducted through an online survey on SurveyMonkey. Participants (N = 198) reported that there are several potential causal factors of depression that result from the use of social media. These include envy (40.45%), unsettling news (15.73%), exclusion (12.36%), negative posts (12.36%), conflicting views (8.99%), cyberbullying (3.37%), too much time spent on social media (3.37%) and recalling past experiences (3.37%). These results confirmed that social media envy is a potential causal factor of depression. Furthermore, it was found that there are additional causal factors resulting from social media use.
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Date Issued
2017-06-05
Identifier
Krylova_fgcu_1743_10254
Format
Document (PDF)