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Process Optimization And Consumable Development For Chemical Mechanical Planarization (Cmp) Processes, Subrahmanya R. Mudhivarthi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) is one of the most critical processing steps that enables fabrication of multilevel interconnects. The success of CMP process is limited by the implementation of an optimized process and reduction of process generated defects along with post CMP surface characteristics such as dishing and erosion. This thesis investigates to identify various sources of defects and studies the effect of factors that can be used to optimize the process. The major contributions of this work are: Understanding the effect of temperature rise on surface tribology, electrochemistry and post CMP pattern effects during the CMP process; investigating the …

A Three-Dimensional Biophysical Model Of Light, Nutrient, And Grazing Controls On Phytoplankton Competition Affecting Red Tide Maintenance On The West Florida Shel, Scott P. Milroy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A coupled, three-dimensional, time-dependent numerical model of water circulation, spectral light, plankton dynamics, nutrient/CDOM loadings, and zooplankton grazing provided an assessment of the factors affecting the growth and maintenance of red tides on the west Florida shelf (WFS). The coupled biophysical model consisted of state variable quantities for temperature, salinity, horizontal/vertical velocity components, turbulent diffusion, spectral light, colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), dissolved organic and inorganic carbon, particulate silica, four dissolved inorganic nutrient pools (nitrate, ammonium, phosphate, and silicate), and four phytoplankton groups (diatoms, microflagellates, non-toxic dinoflagellates, and the red tide organism Karenia brevis).

The model also included a complex …

Construction And Application Of Computationally Tractable Theories Of Nonlinear Spectroscopy, Christine L. Neipert

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nonlinear optical processes probe systems in unique manners. The signals obtained from nonlinear spectroscopic experiments are often significantly different than more standard linear techniques, and their intricate nature can make it difficult to interpret the experimental results. Given the complexity of many nonlinear lineshapes, it is to the benefit of both the theoretical and experimental communities to have molecularly detailed computationally amenable theories of nonlinear spectroscopy. Development of such theories, bench marked by careful experimental investigations, have the ability to understand the origins of a given spectroscopic lineshape with atomistic resolution. With this goal in mind, this manuscript details the …

The Influence Of Acculturation And Other Family Characteristics On Asthma Outcomes In Hispanic Children, Rose M. Nieves

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of child and caregiver characteristics on asthma outcomes in Hispanic children. Specific research objectives of the study were to: (1) to asses the relative influence of family characteristics, caregiver level of education, asthma severity, insurance status and acculturation, on asthma outcomes in Hispanic children; (2) to asses the direct and indirect influence of acculturation on asthma outcomes in Hispanic children, while controlling for other variables; (3) to determine the relative influence of familial characteristics, parental level of education, asthma severity, insurance status and acculturation, as they predict utilization of asthma …

Depressive Symptomatology, Patient-Provider Communication, And Patient Satisfaction: A Multilevel Analysis, Lorraine Marie Novosel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Depression can be a profoundly disabling and costly disorder and is a major public health concern. Despite the efficacy of treatment options, it is often unrecognized, under-diagnosed, and inadequately treated in primary care settings. Research on patient-provider communication supports the connection among the quality of the patient-provider interaction, patient behavior, and health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to systematically examine the impact of patients' depressive symptoms on the patient-provider relationship, patient-provider communication, and patient satisfaction with the primary care office visit. One hundred twenty three patient-provider encounters were audiotaped and coded using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS). …

The Impact Of Fidelity And Innovations On Healthy Families America Programs, Ashley E. Nixon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fidelity to a program model and innovations added to the program model have been found to positively impact large scale program expansion and implementation (Blakely et al., 1987). Research examining the effectiveness of Healthy Families America (HFA) programs has been hindered by the differences that exist among HFA programs. This study examines the impact program fidelity and innovations have on outcome measures of updated immunizations, primary medical care providers, and participant retention for 102 HFA sites. Factor analysis and regression were used to analyze archival data. Results indicate that fidelity was positively related to percentage of participants with updated immunizations …

Forging Identities Through Style: Elite Interaction And Identity Formation At Late Classic (Ad 650-900) Palmarejo, Northwest Honduras, Claire Novotny

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The representation of social affiliation is dependent upon material signifiers that can serve as communicative links between individuals or communities. This study evaluates the material manifestation of an elite social identity during the Late Classic (AD 650-900) period at the site of Palmarejo, northwest Honduras. Previous studies on social identity in prehistory point to the importance of site plans, monumental architecture, ceramics, and human burials in conveying sociocultural messages. A regional comparison of these types of data is made between Palmarejo and three coeval sites in northwest Honduras, La Sierra, El Coyote, and Las Canoas. I argue that the chosen …

High School Social Studies Teachers' Attitudes Towards The Inclusion Of Ell Students In Mainstream Classes, Jason L. O'Brien

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of high school social studies teachers who had English Language Learners (ELL) mainstreamed in their social studies classes. In the school district in which the study took place, approximately 70% (n=240) of the high school social studies teachers had ELL students in their classrooms. For the quantitative portion of the survey, 344 surveys were given to each social studies department chairperson in the county to be completed by all the teachers who currently had ELL students in their social studies classroom. For the qualitative portion of the study, eight high …

Comparison Of Two Treatments For Finger Tip Amputation: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Karen Olson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To compare the costs and length of disability for conservative treatment versus skin grafting of distal finger and thumb tip amputations. Methods: Thirty-five zone I finger or thumb tip amputations in thirty-five workers in the Southeastern United States were included in this study. Twenty-four were treated with conservative treatment (bandaging to protect the wound). Eleven were treated with skin grafting. The total cost of medical care, total cost including wage replacement, and the length of disability were compared between the two groups. Impairment at the end of treatment was considered. Results: Even when the cost of wage replacement was …

Back Massage: Long Term Effects And Dosage Determination For Persons With Pre-Hypertension And Hypertension, Christine M. Olney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Significance: Complementary and alternative therapies (CAM) are widely used however the efficacy of many CAM therapies for specific diseases has yet to be verified. Massage therapy, specifically back massage, used to assist in the management of elevated blood pressure is one such unverified therapy. A pilot study completed in 2002 resulted in significant changes in blood pressure using a repeated application of the 10 minute back massage. Research Aims: This study, evolving from a psychophysiology framework, aimed to determine the long term efficacy of a back massage treatment and possible dosage needed to effectively assist in the management of elevated …

Key Stakeholder Perceptions Of The Expulsion Process For High School Students Identified As Emotionally Disturbed, Suzanne R. O'Neill

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how the expulsion process works for seven male ninth grade students identified as emotionally disturbed and in particular, the perceptions students, their parents, five district representatives, and five high school administrators involved in an expulsion have of the process. Furthermore, the study investigated through in-depth interviews possible differences in perceptions between those students who are expelled, parents, and key education personnel involved in expulsion decisions. Computer-based qualitative data analysis software was used to organize and analyze the collected data. Results of the study indicate that the two primary key stakeholder participants; students and their parents, shared predominately …

Community College Transfer Students’ Experiences Of The Adjustment Process To A Four Year Institution: A Qualitative Analysis, Karen R. Owens

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Today's mobile student population follows diverse paths. This research presents findings from a qualitative study investigating the perceptions of transfer students while they were actively engaged in the transfer process. Fifty-seven incoming community college transfer students (n=57) were interviewed, in a large metropolitan area, through e-journaling during fall 2006 (while students were still attending community colleges) and during spring 2007 (students' first semester of admission to the university).

The following research questions guided the study: What do transfer students perceive as a successful transfer process? From the transfer student's perspective, what supports are needed to accommodate a successful transfer process? …

An Exploration Of Three Residence Hall Types And The Academic And Social Integration Of First Year Students, Dorothy E. Paine

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Living on campus has long been an important part of many students' collegiate experience. Most research describing the benefits of living on campus was conducted in the 1960s and 1970s and was based upon students living in double rooms on double loaded corridors with community bathrooms. In recent years, the style of residence hall buildings has changed from these traditional rooms to suite and apartment-style housing offering more privacy and greater amenities to students. This study sought to examine how first year students living in three different types of residence hall environments differ on measures of social and academic integration, …

Perceptions Of Florida School Library Media Specialists Relative To The Saliency Of Collaboration, Leadership, And Technology Tasks Outlined In Information Power: Changes Since 1996, Terrell M. Pace

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 1988 Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs (IP1) was published. Ten years later an updated version, Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning (IP2) was released. The purpose of this study was to determine if school library media specialists' perceptions had changed since 1996 and if respondents' familiarity with IP2 was a factor in the development of those perceptions. Further, 37 items that were clustered based on the three primary threads of collaboration, leadership and technology developed in IP2 were used to assess changes in perceptions. An electronic survey was developed and disseminated to the population of school …

The Role Of Norepinephrine In Learning: Cerebellar Motor Learning In Rats, Daniel A. Paredes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Delay classical eyeblink conditioning is an important model of associative, cerebellar dependent learning. Norepinephrine (NE) plays a significant modulatory role in the acquisition of learning; other neurotransmitter systems are also at play. The goal of this dissertation was to determine whether NE, GABA and glutamate (Glu) release is observed in cerebellar cortex during delay eye blink conditioning, and whether such release was selectively associated with training and not due only to stimulatory sensory input. The data support the hypothesis of noradrenergic and GABAergic system involvement in motor learning with NE as a modulator of early responding and GABA as a …

Two Essays On Market Efficiency ⎯ Tests Of Idiosyncratic Risk: Informed Trading Versus Noise And Arbitrage Risk, And Agency Costs And The Underlying Causes Of Mispricing: Information Asymmetry Versus Conflict Of Interests, Jung Chul Park

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I examine the informational efficiency of stock markets by testing the relation between idiosyncratic volatility and equity mispricing. I find that the level of mispricing declines with idiosyncratic volatility consistent with the notion that greater levels of firm-specific risk reflect greater participation of informed traders in the market for the stock. However, I also find that mispricing increases with idiosyncratic volatility for highly volatile stocks, and this is attributed to both noise trading and arbitrage risk. In addition, I investigate the link between agency costs and equity mispricing, and whether it exists due to information asymmetry or the degree of …

Akt Function And Human Oncogenesis, Sungman Park

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Accumulated evidence indicates that, by the phosphorylation of its physiological substrates, Akt promotes cell survival, proliferation and angiogenesis. While a number of Akt targets have been identified, the mechanism by which Akt regulates cell survival and growth and induces malignant transformation still remains elusive. During the last 5 years, I have shown that AKT1 cross-talks with Src/Stat3 pathway. AKT1 is a direct target gene of Stat3. Protein/mRNA levels and promoter activity of AKT1 are significantly induced by constitutively active Src and Stat3. Knockdown of Stat3 or dominant-negative Stat3 reduced AKT1 expression induced by constitutively active Src. Blockage of AKT1 expression …

Just Regular Folks: An Ethnographic Study Of Identity In A Gay And Lesbian Catholic Community In South Florida, Shawn M. Perkins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Much of the research done on religious gays and lesbians has focused upon the cognitive strategies they employ in order to negotiate conflicts experienced between their religious and sexual identities. In contrast to taking a psychological approach, this study focuses upon the role of social context in helping gay and lesbian Catholics to successfully negotiate their religious and sexual identities. Using participant-observation data of a small gay and lesbian Catholic community, the Holy Cross Community (HCC), as well as from interviews with ten of its members, I examine the role of the interpersonal context in identity processes. I outline the …

Documenting Dylan: How The Documentary Film Functions For Bob Dylan Fans, Theodore G. Petersen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore the role of the documentary film in the relationship between the artist and the fan; specifically how Bob Dylan fans use the documentary films Dont Look Back, directed by D.A. Pennebaker, and No Direction Home, directed by Martin Scorsese. Dylan, Pennebaker, and Scorsese are three important figures in American popular culture, and these are the two most prominent films about Dylan. These films discuss relatively the same time period, yet delineate two different versions of Dylan's identity. Dont Look Back, released in 1967, documents Dylan's 1965 tour of England. Because of Pennebaker's …

Third Grade Retention And Florida’S Pupil Progression Plan: Individual And School Characteristics Associated With Long-Term Outcomes In Reading Performance, Heather A. Powell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Literacy is a growing national concern that has resulted in federal legislation (e.g., the No Child Left Behind Act) instituting higher accountability for states and schools with regard to reading instruction and remediation. As a result, Florida's statewide measure of achievement, the reading portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT-Reading) is now tied to retention decisions for students in the third grade as part of the pupil progression plan for the state. In its first year of implementation (2003), 23% of third-grade students failed the FCAT and over 28,000 were retained. Though failure rates are decreasing, (i.e., 6% of …

Perception Of Educational Experiences By At-Risk African-American Students In An Undergraduate Teacher Education Program, Sharman Pride-Mcrae

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore individual perceptions of African-American at-risk students in an undergraduate teacher education program, specifically continuing students or community college transfer students in a four-year urban university College of Education (COE) program. Specific areas of interest included: (a) demographic characteristics profiling the study participants; (b) emotional and motivational factors as they affected the students; and (c) the personal thoughts and effect of institutional and environmental variables and administrative factors. Ten females volunteered to participate in a semi-structured interview. The 22 semi-structured interview questions were developed by the researcher. The questions captured the individual personal …

An Existential-Phenomenological Investigation Of Self-Cutting Among Adolescent Girls, Amanda A. Privé

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the experience of self-cutting, what stops adolescent girls from engaging in self-cutting, and what message adolescent girls who are self-cutting would want to send to other girls taking part in this behavior. Using an existential-phenomenological method of interviewing, adolescent girls were asked a serious of questions in order to gain insight into their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about the experience of self-cutting. Each interview was tape recorded, transcribed, and thematized. The participants in this study were labeled co-researchers due to the significant role that they had in the completion of this study. The co-researchers consisted of …

Linkage-Based Prosthetic Fingertips: Analysis And Testing, Issa A. Ramirez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis consists of the research on linkage-based fingertips for prosthetic hands. These fingertips consists of small polycentric mechanisms attached to what would be the pulp in normal anatomical fingers. These mechanisms allow the prosthetic hand to conform to the shape of objects during grasp. The goal of these prosthetic fingertips is to maximize the functionality of the hand while minimizing the number of inputs that the user has to control. The stability of the fingertip mechanisms is analyzed using the principle of virtual work. From this analysis we are able to show that the fingertip mechanism is stable for …

Automatic Geo-Referencing By Integrating Camera Vision And Inertial Measurements, Duminda I. B Randeniya

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Importance of an alternative sensor system to an inertial measurement unit (IMU) is essential for intelligent land navigation systems when the vehicle travels in a GPS deprived environment. The sensor system that has to be used in updating the IMU for a reliable navigation solution has to be a passive sensor system which does not depend on any outside signal. This dissertation presents the results of an effort where position and orientation data from vision and inertial sensors are integrated. Information from a sequence of images captured by a monocular camera attached to a survey vehicle at a maximum frequency …

The Influence Of The Loop Current On The Diversity, Abundance And Distribution Of Zooplankton In The Gulf Of Mexico, Katie Rathmell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Physical processes in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and mesoscale (10-300 km) processes associated with the Loop Current are fairly well known. However, little is known about the physical/ biological interactions of the frontal boundary system of the Loop Current. Zooplankton abundance and distribution was determined at 28 stations in the vicinity of the Loop Current. Species richness was high at all stations. Copepods comprised 60% of the total zooplankton collected. Oithona plumifera, Nannocalanus minor and Euchaeta marina were the most abundant copepods. Chaetognaths and ostracods were also very abundant and made up 11 and 5 % respectively of the …

Relationship Between Nurses’ Management Of Pediatric Oncology Patients’ Symptoms And Job Satisfaction, Jennifer I. Rheingans

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A primary function of the pediatric oncology nurse is to provide symptom management to children with cancer. Symptom management strategies have been published, but there is scarce literature examining neither the actual use of these nursing interventions, nor the effects of using these interventions on the nurses' perceived work environment. The purpose of this study was to examine the nursing interventions used in treating pediatric oncology patients' symptoms, as well as the emotional sequelae from providing this care. Phase One of this study examined the content validity of the newly developed Nurses Distress and Interventions for Symptoms Survey (NDISS) utilizing …

A 1400-Year Multi-Proxy Record Of Climate Variability From The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Julie N. Richey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A continuous, decadal-scale resolution multi-proxy record of climate variability over the past 1400 years in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) was constructed from a box core recovered in the Pigmy Basin. Proxies include paired analyses of Mg/Ca and oxygen isotopes in the white variety of the planktic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber and relative abundance variations of G. sacculifer in the foraminifer assemblages. Two multi-decadal intervals of sustained high Mg/Ca values indicate GOM sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) were as warm or warmer than near-modern conditions between 1000 and 1400 yrs BP. Foraminiferal Mg/Ca values during the coolest interval of the Little Ice …

The Impact Of Organizational Climate Variables Of Perceived Organizational Support, Workplace Isolation, And Ethical Climate On Salesperson Psychological And Behavioral Work Outcomes, Robert J. Riggle

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to build and test a model that integrates the marketing, management, and psychological literature with respect to organizational climate variables and their direct and indirect impact on salesperson psychological and behavioral outcomes, as well as one that answers the overarching research question of how organizational climate variables impact salesperson psychological and behavioral work outcomes. Data were collected during the time period from April 2006 until May 2006. Three hundred survey invitations were sent via e-mail to salespeople at three organizations. The participating organizations included a privately owned publishing firm located in the southeastern United …

Determinants Of Female Labor Force Participation In Venezuela: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Betilde Rincon De Munoz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to fill the gap in research about women in Venezuela by investigating the determinants of their labor force participation between 1995 and 1998. The Central Office of Statistics and Information in Venezuela provides cross-sectional data collected semiannually about individual, demographic, socio-economic and geographical characteristics of individuals living in Venezuela during this period. This study uses binomial and multinomial logit models to test a number of hypotheses. First, the full sample of women between 15 and 60 years old is used to investigate the importance of individual, demographic, socioeconomic, and geographical characteristics in the labor …

Destabilization And Characterization Of Libh4/Mgh2 Complex Hydride For Hydrogen Storage, Luis A. Rivera

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The demands on Hydrogen fuel based technologies is ever increasing for substitution or replacing fossil fuel due to superior energy sustainability, national security and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, the polymer based proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), is strongly considered for on-board hydrogen storage vehicles due to low temperature operation, efficiency and low environmental impact. However, the realization of PEMFC vehicles must overcome the portable hydrogen storage barrier. DOE and FreedomCAR technical hydrogen storage targets for the case of solid state hydrides are: (1) volumetric hydrogen density > 0.045 kgH2/L, (2) gravimetric hydrogen density > 6.0 wt%, (3) operating temperature < 150 degrees C, (4) lifetimes of 1000 cycles, and (5) a fast rate of H2 absorption and desorption. To meet these targets, we have focused on lithium borohydride systems; an alkali metal complex hydride with a high theoretical hydrogen capacity of 18 wt.%.

It …