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Numerical Simulation Of Flow In Ozonation Process, Jie Zhang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the last two decades, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has shown great potential as a powerful and cost-efficient tool to troubleshoot existing disinfection contactors and improve future designs for the water and wastewater treatment utilities.

In the first part of this dissertation two CFD simulation methodologies or strategies for computing turbulent flow are evaluated in terms of the predicted hydraulic performance of contactors. In the LES (large eddy simulation) methodology, the more energetic, larger scales of the turbulence are explicitly computed or resolved by the grid. In the less computationally intensive RANS (Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes) methodology, only the mean component of …

Template-Directed Synthesis And Post-Synthetic Modification Of Porphyrin-Encapsulating Metal-Organic Materials, Zhenjie Zhang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Metal-organic materials (MOMs) represent an emerging class of materials comprised of molecular building blocks (MBBs) linked by organic linker ligands. MOMs recently attract great attention because of their ability to exhibit permanent porosity, thereby enabling study of properties in the context of gas storage, gas separation, solid supports for sensors, catalysis and so on. Although MOMs have been studied for over 60 years, the porous nature of MOMs was not systematically and widely explored until the early 1990's. This may be one of the reasons why template-directed synthesis of MOMs remains relatively underexplored, especially when compared to other classes of …

An Assessment Of The Emas Pump And Its Potential For Use In Household Water Systems In Uganda, Jacob Daniel Carpenter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rural improved water supply coverage in Uganda has stagnated around 64% for a number of years and at this point more than 10 million rural people do not have access to an improved drinking water source. It has been recognized that progress toward improved water supply coverage and increased service levels may be gained through Government and nongovernmental organization (NGO) support of private investment in household and shared water supplies, commonly known as Self-supply. Self-supply can be promoted by introducing and building local capacity in appropriate and affordable water supply technologies such as hand-dug wells, manually drilled boreholes, low-cost pumps, …

Algae: Opportunities For Biomass Feedstock Production, Wastewater Treatment And Educational Outreach, Trina Cassandra Halfhide

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Algae are a diverse group of simple organisms that lack roots, stems or leaves and are able to use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and nutrients to produce complex compounds, such as carbohydrates, proteins and lipids. These compounds, especially lipids, are highly sought-after by agricultural, nutraceutical and energy interests. Although there is great potential for algae derived biofuels, there are technical and economic challenges associated with their cultivation. Relevant to this dissertation, the environmental impacts associated with algae cultivation can be reduced by using municipal and agricultural wastewaters as a water and nutrient source. This research was divided into three sections to …

Drinking Water In The Developing World: Sources Of Fecal Contamination In Pitcher Pump Systems And Measurement Alternatives, Meghan Wahlstrom

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It has been reported that globally we have achieved Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Target 7C, to halve the proportion of the population without access to safe drinking water; however, there is a major flaw with this statement. While Target 7C calls for access to `safe' drinking water, what is actually being measured and reported is access to an `improved' water source. The World Health Organization (WHO) maintains that they must use this proxy measure because the methods for water quality testing are too expensive and logistically complicated, but by doing so, they may be over reporting safe water coverage.

This …

Exploring The Relationship Of Motivation, Anxiety, And Virtual Worlds In The Experiences Of Two Spanish Language Learners: A Case Study, Amy Katherine Wehner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Virtual Worlds (VWs) in foreign language education are slowly becoming more popular. Many studies have looked at the affordances of these worlds and how they affect some aspects of language acquisition. However, it is still unknown to what extent, if any, these virtual worlds can play a role in affecting motivation and anxiety. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between motivation, anxiety and virtual worlds to see how participation in activities within these environments interacted in two individual language learners, Jessica and Melissa.

Using a case study approach, I observed and interviewed the two participants in …

Homochiral Metal-Organic Materials: Design, Synthetic And Enantioseletive Separation, Shi-Yuan Zhang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Owing to the growing demand for enantiopurity in biological and chemical processes, tremendous efforts have been devoted to the synthesis of homochiral metal-organic materials (MOMs) because of their potential applications in chiral separation and asymmetric catalysis. In this dissertation, the synthetic strategies for homochiral MOMs are discussed keeping the focus on their applications. Two distinct approaches have been taken to synthesize chiral structures with different topologies and accessible cavities. The chiral MOMs have been utilized in enantioselective separation of racemates.

Chiral variants of the prototypal metal-organic framework MOF-5, δ-CMOF-5 and [lambda]-CMOF-5, have been synthesized by preparing MOF-5 in the presence …

A System Dynamics Approach To Integrated Water And Energy Resources Management, Yilin Zhuang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water and energy are two of the most important resources for societal prosperity and economic development. It is clear that water and energy are intrinsically linked together and depend on one another in modern society. To date, however, efforts on water-energy nexus concentrate on quantifying the energy use in water cycle or the water use in energy production. From management perspective, water and energy are still managed separately. Little work has been done to investigate the impacts of the management options associated with one resource on the other and examine the integrated water and energy management options. Accordingly, the overall …

Study Of The Motility Of Biological Cells By Digital Holographic Microscopy, Xiao Yu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I utilize digital holographic microscopy (DHM) to study the motility of biological cells. As an important feature of DHM, quantitative phase microscopy by digital holography (DH-QPM) is applied to study the cell-substrate interactions and migratory behavior of adhesive cells. The traction force exerted by biological cells is visualized as distortions in flexible substrata. Motile fibroblasts produce wrinkles when attached to a silicone rubber film. For the non-wrinkling elastic substrate polyacrylamide (PAA), surface deformation due to fibroblast adhesion and motility is visualized as tangential and vertical displacement. This surface deformation and the associated cellular traction forces are measured …

Computer Model Inversion And Uncertainty Quantification In The Geosciences, Jeremy White

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The subject of this dissertation is use of computer models as data analysis tools in several different geoscience settings, including integrated surface water/groundwater modeling, tephra fallout modeling, geophysical inversion, and hydrothermal groundwater modeling. The dissertation is organized into three chapters, which correspond to three individual publication manuscripts.

In the first chapter, a linear framework is developed to identify and estimate the potential predictive consequences of using a simple computer model as a data analysis tool. The framework is applied to a complex integrated surface-water/groundwater numerical model with thousands of parameters. Several types of predictions are evaluated, including particle travel time …

Mapping The Spatial Movements, Behaviors, And Interactions Of Captive Orangutans Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning And Gis, Zachary Joseph Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Five captive Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) were observed in order to better understand their spatial selection, behavior, and interaction with their environment and each other. A newly introduced adult male's interactions with a female group containing two adults, one adolescent, and one juvenile, was documented. Visual observations were performed to document individual behaviors, along with any interactions with silvery langur monkeys, public crowd levels, temperature, and enrichment props. Methods included 15 observation periods, 0.5-3 hours in length each, during which behaviors were verbally and visually confirmed using a HD video camera. Spatial locations of each individual were recorded every three …

Impedance Extraction By Matlab/Simulink And Labview/Multisim, Jen-Pin Lin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis studies the techniques of small-signal impedance measurement in three-phase power systems. Stability issue has become critically important since power electronics are highly applied in power distribution and conversion systems. Controlled output systems cause the risk of instability. In order to obtain the impedance model, an impedance extraction in D-Q reference frame algorithm is developed. This paper also applied Interpolated Fast Fourier Transform to increase accuracy of impedance model. Based on the voltage injection, Phase-Locked Loop, Park Transform, D-Q reference frame, and IPFFT. Three-phase system has been realigned on D-Q coordinate and impedance model is extracted in this form. …

An Analysis Of Public Perception And Response To Hurricane Sandy, Lindsay L. Rice

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hurricane Sandy made landfall in Brigantine, New Jersey on October 29th, 2012. The storm impacted the coastal regions of New Jersey and New York, especially the heavily populated area of New York City. This research, which analyzes secondary data obtained from a telephone survey, investigates the public response of residents before, during and after Hurricane Sandy. The survey consisted of questions regarding what the residents expected concerning the threat of Hurricane Sandy, whether it matched what they experienced, where they got their information and how they made their decision to evacuate or not. The results from the survey were statistically …

Response Of Benthic Foraminifera To Ocean Acidification And Impact On Florida's Carbonate Sediment Production, Paul O. Knorr

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO2 are in dynamic equilibrium with the oceans. The absorption of CO2 by seawater causes a decrease in seawater pH and calcite saturation state (SS). This process, termed ocean acidification, exerts deleterious effects on marine calcifiers. Studies of symbiont-bearing large benthic foraminifera (LBF) have reported a generally unfavorable response to increased concentrations of carbon dioxide ([CO2]).

Experiments and analyses were undertaken to examine the effect of increased [CO2] on the growth rate, ultrastructure, stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen, as well as Mg/Ca of the high-Mg miliolid Archaias angulatus and the low-Mg rotalid Amphistegina gibbosa. A …

Combination Of The Computational Methods: Molecular Dynamics, Homology Modeling And Docking To Design Novel Inhibitors And Study Structural Changes In Target Proteins For Current Diseases, Katherine Cristina Parra

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, molecular dynamics simulations, molecular docking, and homology modeling methods have been used in combination to design possible inhibitors as well as to study the structural changes and function of target proteins related to diseases that today are in the spotlight of drug discovery. The inwardly rectifying potassium (Kir) channels constitute the first target in this study; they are involved in cardiac problems. On the other hand, tensin, a promising target in cancer research, is the second target studied here.

The first chapter includes a brief update on computational methods and the current proposal of the combination of …

I Did That Wrong And It Sounded Good: An Ethnographic Study Of Vernacular Music Making In Higher Education, Victor Ezquerra

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to examine vernacular music making in higher education. The participants, undergraduate music education majors (N=23 for Fall, N=10 for Spring), were investigated throughout the course of the 2012-2013 academic year. A constructivist philosophical framework was applied and data were collected using several methodologies including participant observation, journals, interviews, and audiovisual and multimedia methods. Results showed that students were able to successfully learn, create, and share music in a vernacular manner. Participants took a pragmatic approach to making music. Furthermore, students engaged several aspects of music making they had not encountered in traditional music …

A 3-D Pseudo-Rigid-Body Model For Rectangular Cantilever Beams With An Arbitrary Force End-Load, Jairo Renato Chimento

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation introduces a novel three-dimensional pseudo-rigid-body model (3-D PRBM) for straight cantilever beams with rectangular cross sections. The model is capable of capturing the behavior of the neutral axis of a beam loaded with an arbitrary force end-load. Numerical integration of a system of differential equations yields approximate displacement and orientation of the beam's neutral axis at the free end, and curvatures of the neutral axis at the fixed end. This data was used to develop the 3-D PRBM which consists of two torsional springs connecting two rigid links for a total of 2 degrees of freedom (DOF). The …

Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Climate Policy In Florida's State And Local Governments (2000 To 2010), Sandra Jo Garren

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to assess the current state of climate policy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission trends in the state Florida and its local governments. The research is guided by three research questions 1) What has been the policy response from state and local governments to the threat of climate change; 2) What were the GHG emission trends from 2000 to 2010 in Florida and its local governments and what were the drivers of change?; and, 3) what were the issues related to the data and methodologies to quantify GHG emissions at the local government level? Policymakers …

It's About Time: Dynamics Of Inflationary Cosmology As The Source Of The Asymmetry Of Time, Emre Keskin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project is about the asymmetry of time. The main source of discontent for physicists and philosophers alike is that even though in every physical theory we developed and/or discovered for explaining how the universe functions, the laws are time reversal invariant; there seems to be a very genuine asymmetry between the past and the future. The aim of this project is to examine several attempts to solve this friction between the laws of physics and the asymmetry and provide a new proposal that makes use of modern cosmology. In the recent history of physics and in contemporary philosophy of …

A Maximum Principle In The Engel Group, James Klinedinst

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we will examine the properties of subelliptic jets in the Engel group of step 3. Step-2 groups, such as the Heisenberg group, do not provide insight into the general abstract calculations. This thesis then, is the first explicit non-trivial computation of the abstract results.

Photocatalysis And Grazing-Ion Beam Surface Modifications Of Planar Tio2 Model Systems, Timothy Luttrell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is related to the understanding of catalytic reactions of metal oxides. For several decades, the surfaces and bulk of materials have been probed to determine additional properties that relate to photocatalytic applications. This investigation furthers these efforts by the (a) modification of a metal oxide surface to isolate known influences of chemical properties and (b) proposing and utilizing a novel methodology for attribution of photocatalytic activity to a discernable influence. For the first effort, by effectively utilizing a known technique for a new application on a metal oxide, such isolations can be made despite unfavorable states. For the …

Atmospheric And Ocean Conditions And Social Aspects Associated With Rip Current Drownings In The United States, Charles Hugh Paxton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to provide a better understanding of the physical and social aspects of rip currents in ocean areas that will lead to better forecasts, better governmental policies in beach areas, and ultimately to save lives. A rip current is a nearshore circulation in which breaking waves run up onto the beach then retreat rapidly in deeper channels back toward the sea. Rip currents pose a significant threat to beachgoers and can pull even the strongest swimmers out to sea. The primary factors associated with rip current formation on unarmored beaches are variations in the local …

A Multi-Case Study Of Student Interactions With Educational Robots And Impact On Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math (Stem) Learning And Attitudes, Stephanie Holmquist

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The demand for STEM trained workers continues to increase not only in the United States, but globally. Reports have indicated that the United States is not doing a good job encouraging students to pursue STEM oriented degrees. In particular, it has become increasingly important to emphasize STEM connections at an early level in order to encourage student career exploration as they continue their education. Educational robots represent a unique alternative to traditional methods, especially at the elementary level. Considering the use of educational robots have largely been ignored at this level, the purpose of this study was to describe the …

Improving Spectrophotometric Carbon System Measurements, Mark Patsavas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work provides improved procedures for spectrophotometric carbon system measurements. Indicator dyes used for routine spectrophotometric pH measurements in seawater suffer from impurity issues, which introduce vendor-specific systematic errors in pH determinations. The magnitude of these errors for several vendors was investigated for meta Cresol Purple (mCP) and Cresol Red (CR). Flash chromatography procedures were developed to obtain purified mCP and CR on a bulk scale in order to supply the oceanographic research community with the indicators. Easy access to the purified indicators ensures global intercomparability of spectrophotometric pH determinations.

Internal consistency of marine inorganic carbon system measurements was studied …

Solvent Dependent Molecular Mechanics: A Case Study Using Type I Collagen, Heather Harper

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Being the most abundant protein in the body, by mass, type I collagen provides the building blocks for tissues such as bone, extra-cellular matrix, tendons, cornea, etc[1-3]. The ability of a single protein to create structures with such various mechanical properties is not fully understood. Before one can engineer and assemble a complex tissue, such as cornea, the mechanisms underlying the formation and assembly, mechanical properties, and structure must be investigated and quantified. The work presented herein contains an extensive study of Type I collagen from the molecular to the tissue level.

The engineering of collagenous tissues that mimic the …

Design & Synthesis Of Peptidomimetics Adopting Secondary Structures For Inhibition Of P53/Mdm2 Protein-Protein Interaction And Multiple Myeloma Cell Adhesion, Hyun Joo Kil

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The protein-protein interactions (PPIs) occur when two or more proteins are bound together. Also, this protein-protein interactions (PPIs) cause the various biological processes in the body. Due to this reason, abilities of controlling or inhibiting PPIs can give us promising advantages like (1) better understanding of biological systems, (2) development of new diagnostic approaches for health or disease, and (3) establishment of novel molecular therapeutics. Many proteins adopt the secondary structures, where most of protein-protein interactions take place. -Helices and -sheets are the prevalent secondary conformations, but there are extended secondary structures such as -hairpins, -turns, 310 helix, and so …

First-Principles Atomistic Simulations Of Energetic Materials, Aaron Christopher Landerville

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is concerned with the understanding of physico-chemical properties of energetic materials (EMs). Recently, a substantial amount of work has been directed towards calculations of equations of state and structural changes upon compression of existing EMs, as well as elucidating the underlying chemistry of initiation in detonating EMs. This work contributes to this effort by 1) predicting equations of state and thermo-physical properties of EMs, 2) predicting new phases of novel EMs, and 3) examining the initial stages of chemistry that result in detonation in EMs. The motivation for the first thrust, is to provide thermodynamic properties as input …

Taken For Granted Or Taken With Gratitude? An Examination Of The Differential Effects Of Donations Of Time And Money On Consumers' Evaluation Of Corporate Philanthropy, Ryan Langan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the potential for two forms of corporate philanthropy, donations of time and money, to have differential effects on consumers' response to corporate giving. Drawing upon indirect-reciprocity theory I show that corporate donations of time compared to money elicit a greater desire to reciprocate on the part of consumers. It is found that the influence of corporate donations on consumers' desire to reciprocate occurs through serial mediation, whereby donations of time are perceived as being more effortful than monetary donations. This in turn leads to more altruistic motive attributions, and ultimately greater admiration towards the firm and a …

Documenting Elementary Teachers' Sustainability Of Instructional Practices: A Mixed Method Case Study, Bridget Cotner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

School reform programs focus on making educational changes; however, research on interventions past the funded implementation phase to determine what was sustained is rarely done (Beery, Senter, Cheadle, Greenwald, Pearson, et al., 2005). This study adds to the research on sustainability by determining what instructional practices, if any, of the Teaching SMART[reg] professional development program that was implemented from 2005-2008 in elementary schools with teachers in grades third through eighth were continued, discontinued, or adapted five years post-implementation (in 2013). Specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions: What do teachers who participated in Teaching SMART[reg] and district administrators …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of 3-Aryl-4(1h)-Quinolones As Orally Active Antimalarials: Overcoming Challenges In Solubility, Metabolism, And Bioavailability, Andrii Monastyrskyi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Infectious diseases are the second leading cause of deaths in the world with malaria being responsible for approximately the same amount of deaths as cancer in 2012. Despite the success in malaria prevention and control measures decreasing the disease mortality rate by 45% since 2000, the development of single-dose therapeutics with radical cure potential is required to completely eradicate this deadly disease. Targeting multiple stages of the malaria parasite is becoming a primary requirement for new candidates in antimalarial drug discovery and development. Recently, 4(1H)-pyridone, 4(1H)-quinolone, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridone, and phenoxyethoxy-4(1H)-quinolone chemotypes have been shown to be antimalarials with blood stage activity, …