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The Performance Of Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling (Msem) In Comparison To Multilevel Modeling (Mlm) In Multilevel Mediation Analysis With Non-Normal Data, Thanh Vinh Pham

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The mediation analysis has been used to test if the effect of one variable on another variable is mediated by the third variable. The mediation analysis answers a question of how a predictor influences an outcome variable. Such information helps to gain understanding of mechanism underlying the variation of the outcome. When the mediation analysis is conducted on hierarchical data, the structure of data needs to be taken into account. Krull and MacKinnon (1999) recommended using Multilevel Modeling (MLM) with nested data and showed that the MLM approach has more power and flexibility over the standard Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) …

Application Of Metamaterials To Rf Energy Harvesting And Infrared Photodetection, Clayton M. Fowler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Techniques for adapting metamaterials for the improvement of RF energy harvesting and infrared photodetection are demonstrated using experimental and computer simulation methods. Two methods for RF energy harvesting are experimentally demonstrated and supported by computer simulation. In the first method, a metamaterial perfect absorber (MPA) is made into a rectenna capable of harvesting RF energy and delivering power to a load by soldering Schottky diodes onto connected split ring resonator (SRR) structures composing the planar metasurface of the perfect absorber. The metamaterial rectenna is accompanied by a ground plane placed parallel to it, which forms a Fabry-Perot cavity between the …

Surfaces And Epitaxial Films Of Corundum-Structured Mixed Metal Oxides., Alan Richard Kramer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the last half century of materials science, significant motivations came from, and still do, the industrial applications of these materials. Whether it is electronic, thermal, tribological or chemical in nature, the study of metals, semiconductors and insulators eventually reveals that the surface plays a significant part in the properties of these materials. Understanding metal terminations reveals often that an oxide is the stable state of the metallic surface in an ambient atmosphere and the ability to predict and control these oxides has led to significant strides forward in not just the metallic bulk but the oxide as well.

Here …

Thermodynamic And Kinetic Aspects Of Hen Egg White Lysozyme Amyloid Assembly, Tatiana Miti

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Deposition of protein fibers with a characteristic cross-β sheet structure is the molecular marker associated with human disorders ranging from Alzheimer's disease to type II diabetes and spongiform encephalopathy. Given the large number of non-disease related proteins and peptides that have been shown to form amyloid fibrils in vitro, it has been suggested that amyloid fibril formation represents a generic protein phase transition. In the last two decades it has become clear that the same protein/peptide can assemble into distinct morphologically and structurally amyloid aggregates depending on the solution conditions. Moreover, recent studies have shown that the early stage, oligomeric …

Parts Of The Whole: Why I Teach This Subject This Way, Dorothy Wallace

Numeracy

The importance of mathematics to biology is illustrated by search data from Google Scholar. I argue that a pedagogical approach based on student research projects is likely to improve retention and foster critical thinking about mathematical modeling, as well as reinforce quantitative reasoning and the appreciation of calculus as a tool. The usual features of a course (e.g., the instructor, assessment, text, etc.) are shown to have very different purposes in a research-based course.

Figures And First Years: An Analysis Of Calculus Students' Use Of Figures In Technical Reports, Nathan J. Antonacci, Michael Rogers, Thomas J. Pfaff, Jason G. Hamilton

Numeracy

This three-year study focused on first-year Calculus I students and their abilities to incorporate figures in technical reports. In each year, these calculus students wrote a technical report as part of the Polar Bear Module, an educational unit developed for use in partner courses in biology, computer science, mathematics, and physics as part of the Multidisciplinary Sustainability Education (MSE) project at Ithaca College. In the first year of the project, students received basic technical report guidelines. In year two, the report guidelines changed to include explicit language on how to incorporate figures. In year three, a grading rubric was added …

Investigating Students’ Basic Needs And Motivation In College Chemistry Courses With The Lens Of Self-Determination Theory, Yujuan Liu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

More graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathmetics (STEM) fields are needed to keep our nation’s preeminance in the global fields of technology and science. However, fewer than 40% of students who intend to major in STEM fields when entering college complete a STEM degree. Therefore, it is important to explore factors to improve student persistence in STEM fields at the college level as well as to understand the interrelationship between student motivation, academic achievement, and persistence. Motivation is strongly associated with student achievement and persistence; meanwhile, academic achievement can also affect persistence. Self-determination theory (SDT) represents a framework of …

Prevalence Of Typical Images In High School Geometry Textbooks, Megan N. Cannon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Visualization in mathematics can be discussed in many ways; it is a broad term that references physical visualization objects as well as the process in which we picture images and manipulate them in our minds. Research suggests that visualization can be a powerful tool in mathematics for intuitive understanding, providing and/or supporting proof and reasoning, and assisting in comprehension. The literature also reveals some difficulties related to the use of visualization, particularly how illustrations can mislead students if they are not comfortable seeing concepts represented in varied ways. However, despite the extensive research on the benefits and challenges of visualization …

Sustainable Development Through Urban Agriculture, Eric R. R. Weaver

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This document includes three completed publications to represent Urban Agriculture as a ideal solution to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The first publication (Weaver, 2017a) provided in Chapter Two examines the stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) modelling parameters for the current EPA Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) as the first step to developing Urban Agriculture BMPs. The second publication (Weaver, 2015) provided in Chapter Three highlights how many high-rated scholars have identified agriculture as a critical driver for the planetary systems impacts we find with community development. The third publication (Weaver, 2017b) provided in Chapter Four breaks down a completely …

Parts Of The Whole: Error Estimation For Science Students, Dorothy Wallace

Numeracy

It is important for science students to understand not only how to estimate error sizes in measurement data, but also to see how these errors contribute to errors in conclusions they may make about the data. Relatively small errors in measurement, errors in assumptions, and roundoff errors in computation may result in large error bounds on computed quantities of interest. In this column, we look closely at a standard method for measuring the volume of cancer tumor xenografts to see how small errors in each of these three factors may contribute to relatively large observed errors in recorded tumor volumes.

A Twenty-Year Look At “Computational Geology,” An Evolving, In-Discipline Course In Quantitative Literacy At The University Of South Florida, Victor J. Ricchezza, H. L. Vacher

Numeracy

Since 1996, the Geology (GLY) program at the USF has offered “Computational Geology” as part of its commitment to prepare undergraduate majors for the quantitative aspects of their field. The course focuses on geological-mathematical problem solving. Over its twenty years, the course has evolved from a GATC (geometry-algebra-trigonometry-calculus) in-discipline capstone to a quantitative literacy (QL) course taught within a natural science major. With the formation of the new School of Geosciences in 2013, the merging departments re-examined their various curricular programs. An online survey of the Geology Alumni Society found that “express quantitative evidence in support of an argument” was …

A Madison-Numeracy Citation Index (2008-2015): Implementing A Vision For A Quantitatively Literate World, Nathan D. Grawe, H. L. Vacher

Numeracy

This editorial recognizes the contributions made by Bernard Madison to the field of quantitative literacy with a bibliographic index of his papers, edited volumes, and works contained therein that were cited in the first eight volumes (2008-2015) of Numeracy. In total, 61 citing papers ("sources") cite 42 Madison works ("citations") a total of 218 times. The source and citation indexes provided in the appendix at the end of this editorial make it easy to see the direct contribution of Madison's work to the arguments and debates contained in the founding years of the journal. For those who are new …