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Improving Pediatric Cardiology Consultation Methods By Introducing Digital Interactive 3-D Heart Models: A Proof Of Concept Study, Adam Verigan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of a pediatric cardiology consultation is to inform, or educate, the patient and family of all aspects surrounding a certain congenital heart defect. Consultation education methods and materials may include verbal descriptions, two-dimensional (2-D) heart diagrams, and take-home pamphlets. Because the human heart is a complex three-dimensional (3-D) object, the problem lies within the clarity to which these methods are performed by the doctors and understood by the patients and families. Therefore, during a consultation the cardiologist must a) possess the ability to describe a defect visually as well as verbally and b) ensure that the patient and …

Parenting Style, Home-Based Involvement, And Educational Expectations Of Black Parents: Their Roles In The Development Of Pre-Literacy Readiness Of Black Children, Iravonia Rawls

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of parenting style, home-based involvement, parents’ educational expectations and pre-literacy readiness. Sixty-two preschool children and his or her parent or guardian participated in this study of: 1) The relationship between parenting style and pre-literacy readiness of Black children enrolled in Head Start programs; 2) The relationship between parents’ educational expectations of Black children enrolled in Head Start programs and preliteracy readiness; 3) The relationship between home-based involvement of Black parents and levels of pre-literacy readiness of their children enrolled in Head Start programs; and 4) The relationship between the predictor …

Transendothelial Migration Of Metastatic Cancer Under The Influence Of Cigarette Smoke Condensate, Daniel Opp

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cigarette smoke's influence on cancer has primarily been a subject of epidemilogic and tumorigenic studies. There have been no proper investigations with interests focused on how cigarette smoke affects the cellular mechanics of metastasis. Gathering an understanding of how smoke influences metastatic invasion could be vital in regulating or possibly eliminatings cancer's ability to initiate new tumor growth sites. This project focuses on cigarette smoke's influence on cellular mechanics of endothelial cells, and the invasive potential of cancer against a fully active endothelium. It is already known that cigarette smoke has a carcinogenic effect, but it is hypothesized that the …

Wheelchair Positioning And Pulmonary Function In Children With Cerebral Palsy, Lee Barks

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: In children with cerebral palsy (CP), poor trunk control fosters spinal deformity, pulmonary compromise (Canet, et al., 1998), increased health risks, and costs of long-term care (Braddock, 2001). Evidence links posture and pulmonary function, but influence of wheelchair parameters on pulmonary mechanics is unknown.

Objectives: 1) Determine relative contribution of five wheelchair configuration parameters to improvement in pulmonary mechanics--total airway resistance (RAW), tidal volume, minute ventilation (MV), and deadspace to tidal volume ratio; 2) Describe recruitment and retention of school-aged children with CP; and 3) Discuss response of the participants to the protocol.

Method: This within-subjects, descriptive study employed …

The Relationships Among Pain, Dyspnea, Constipation And Quality Of Life In Lung Cancer Patients Enrolled In A Hospice Program, Lisa A. Laches

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is evidence of a relationship between pain and associated symptoms, specifically constipation and dyspnea, and quality of life. Literature supports that endstage lung cancer patients suffer more symptoms than those with other types of cancers, and the course of treatment is primarily palliative, as many of these diagnosed patients cannot be cured. The purpose of this secondary analysis of data was to evaluate the relationships between pain and other common symptoms in end stage lung cancer patients in hospice care, and the relationships among pain, dyspnea, constipation and quality of life. The study sample included fifty lung cancer patients …

Perceptions Of School Based Mental Health Services By Directors And Supervisors Of Student Services, Decia N. Dixon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Key stakeholders in schools must be educated about the importance of increasing access to mental health services in schools. School-based mental health services are designed to increase children's competence and help them meet the societal expectations of school success. The present study examined types of mental health services provided to students in school districts throughout Florida; the extent to which those services were provided to children and families; the beliefs of student services directors and supervisors regarding qualifications of school mental health service providers to provide mental health services; and their beliefs about the impact of mental health services on …

Hydrostratigraphy And Groundwater Migration Within Surficial Deposits At The North Lakes Wetland, Hillsborough County, Florida, Jason J. Laroche

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A wetland in west-central Florida was studied to characterize the local hydrostratigraphic configuration of surficial deposits overlying more-permeable limestones and conceptualize groundwater recharge. Eight continuous cores were drilled through the surficial deposits and partially into the underlying limestone. A total of 111 samples were extracted from the cores for laboratory sediment analyses and testing. The surficial deposits are roughly eight meters thick and made up of upper and lower clean-sand hydrostratigraphic layers (S1 and S3, respectively) separated by a low-permeability layer of clayey sand (S2). Also, a discontinuous low-permeability layer of clayey sand (S4) lies between S3 and the top …

Gate Level Dynamic Energy Estimation In Asynchronous Circuits Using Petri Nets, Ryan Mabry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis introduces a new methodology for energy estimation in asynchronous circuits. Unlike existing probabilistic methods, this is the first simulative work for energy estimation in all types of asynchronous circuits.

The new simulative methodology is based on Petri net modeling. A real delay model is incorporated to capture both gate delays and interconnect delays. The switching activity at each gate is captured to measure the average dynamic energy consumed per request/acknowledge handshaking pair. The new type of Petri net is called Hierarchical Colored Asynchronous Hardware Petri net (HCAHPN). The HCAHPN is able to capture the temporal and spatial correlations …

“Girls Play With Dolls And Boys Play With Soldiers”: Examining Teachers And Parents' Gender Beliefs And The Gender Identity Of 8-10 Year Old Jamaican Boys, Christopher Carlyle Clarke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This multi-case ethnographic study examined the gender beliefs of two teachers and 12 parents and the gender identity of thirty 8-10 year old boys in two primary schools in Jamaica. The study was conducted against the background of gross underachievement among Jamaican boys and the research literature pointing to gender socialization as a factor in the declining results and interest in academic studies. Through 10 weeks of observations, interviews and focus group discussions answers were sought for the following questions:

1. What beliefs do teachers hold about gender?

2. What beliefs do parents hold about gender?

3. What are boys' …

The Leray-Schauder Approach For The Degree Of Perturbed Maximal Monotone, Ibrahimou Boubakari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this work, we demonstrate that the Leray-Schauder topological degree theory can be used for the development of a topological degree theory for maximal monotone perturbations of demicontinuous operators of type (S+) in separable reflexive Banach spaces. This is an extension of Berkovits’ degree development for operators as the perturbations above.

Berkovits has developed a topological degree for demicontinuous mappings of type (S₊), and has shown that the degree mapping is unique under the assumption that it satisfies certain general properties. He proved that if f is a bounded demicontinous mapping of type (S₊), G is …

The Validation Of A Methodology For Assessing The Impact Of Hybrid Simulation Training In The Minimization Of Adverse Outcomes In Surgery, Peter J. Fabri

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Institute of Medicine report "To Err is Human," released in late 1999, raised the issue of human error in medicine to a new level of attention. This study examines the frequency, severity, and type (FST) of errors associated with postoperative surgical complications at a tertiary care, university-based medical center, addressing the intersection of three domains: patient safety, graduate medical education, and simulation-based training. The study develops and validates a classification system for medical error that is specific to surgery, affirming reliability internally and externally. Baseline data on the FST of errors is collected over a 12-month period. A hybrid, …

Florida's College Placement Test Reading Scores As An Essential Indicator For Successful Completion Of The Highest College Preparatory Course In Reading, Laura Dandar Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive validity of several variables to determine if the Florida Computerized Placement Test - Reading (CPT-R) score alone, or other variables, could determine whether or not a student would successfully pass the highest level college preparatory reading course. The study examined fall sessions 1997-2004 (n=276,079) reading scores for all forms of the CPT to determine at what standard deviation below the cutoff score of 83 a student could still successfully complete the highest level college preparatory reading course.

According to the College Board, the 83 scaled score, which exempts a student …

Identification Of The Parameters When The Density Of The Minimum Is Given, John C. Davis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Let (X₁, X₂, X₃) be a tri-variate normal vector with a non-singular co-variance matrix ∑ , where for i ≠ j, ∑_ij < 0 . It is shown here that it is then possible to determine the three means, the three variances and the three correlation coefficients based only on the knowledge of the probability density function for the minimum variate Y = min{X₁ , X₂ , X₃ }. We will present a method for identifying the nine parameters which consists of careful determination of the asymptotic orders of various bivariate tail probabilities.

Functionalization Of Resorcinarenes And Study Of Antimicrobial Activity, Kirankirti Muppalla

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cavitands are very important class of compounds in supramolecular chemistry. These molecules contain rigid enforced cavity,and have attracted considerable attention in supramolecular chemistry as building blocks for the construction of carcerands, hemicarcerands, and other host guests complexes. Nearly 40 years ago, Niederl and Vogel laid foundation for the study of such type of condensation reactions. In our laboratory we are involved in synthesis of resorcinarenes with readily available substrates such as resorcinol and aldehydes to form a cyclic tetramer.

Herein, I present detailed studies about the functionalization of the synthesized tetramers and their antimicrobial activity. Octahydroxy resorcinarenes were synthesized and …

Modeling Three-Dimensional Shape Of Sand Grains Using Discrete Element Method, Nivedita Das

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The study of particle morphology plays an important role in understanding the micromechanical behavior of cohesionless soil. Shear strength and liquefaction characteristics of granular soil depend on various morphological characteristics of soil grains such as their particle size, shape and surface texture. Therefore, accurate characterization and quantification of particle shape is necessary to study the effect of grain shape on mechanical behavior of granular assembly. However, the theoretical and practical developments of quantification of particle morphology and its influence on the mechanical response of granular assemblies has been very limited due to the lack of quantitative information about particle geometries, …

Children’S Perceptions Of Mothers’ And Fathers’ Parental Rearing In White And Hispanic Families, Ariz Rojas-Cifredo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study compared children's perceptions of mothers' and fathers' parental rearing styles in White and Hispanic families. Participants included 173 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade children recruited from after-school care programs in the School District of Hillsborough County, Florida. Children completed measures of perceived parenting for both mothers and fathers and a self-report inventory of their own current psychological symptoms. No differences between perceptions of parental acceptance in Hispanic and White families were expected. However, perceptions of hostile control were predicted to be higher for Hispanic fathers than for White fathers. In contrast, perceptions of maternal inconsistent discipline were …

Applications Of Degree Theories To Nonlinear Operator Equations In Banach Spaces, Dhruba R. Adhikari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Let X be a real Banach space and G₁, G₂ two nonempty, open and bounded subsets of X such that 0 ∈ G₂ and G₂ ⊂ G₁. The problem (∗) T x + Cx = 0 is considered, where T : X ⊃ D(T) → X is an accretive or monotone operator with 0 ∈ D(T) and T(0) = 0, while C : X ⊃ D(C) → X can be, e.g., one of the following types: (a) compact; (b) continuous and bounded with the resolvents of T compact; (c) demicontinuous, bounded and of …

Climatic And Structural Controls On The Geomorphology Of Wadi Sana, Highland Southern Yemen, Joshua Michael Anderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Middle Holocene climate change forced significant environmental response and influenced human activities throughout southern Arabia. Climate models and proxy data indicate that climate along the southern Arabian peninsula changed from a moist phase, spanning the early to middle Holocene, to an arid phase, which persisted for the last ca. 5,000 years. A weakening and southward shift of the Southwest Indian Monsoon System, forced by northern hemisphere insolation variations in the precession band and/or glacial boundary conditions, is suggested as the mechanism for the abrupt shift to more arid conditions. Geoarchaeological evidence suggests that agriculture was more widespread and evolved alongside …

Evanescent Field Absorption Sensing Using Sapphire Fibers, Michael Grossman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the application of coiled sapphire multimode optical fibers for evanescent wave chemical sensing in both the visible spectrum and the near infrared. As has been suggested in the literature pertaining to silica fibers, bending converts low-order modes to high order ones, which leads to more evanescent absorption and thus a more sensitive chemical detector. By coiling the fiber many times, it was expected that even greater sensitivity would be attained.

Experiments were performed to investigate the sensor response to different solutions and to characterize this response. In the first of three experiments, the large absorption peak of …

Symbolic Computations Of Exact Solutions To Nonlinear Integrable Di®Erential Equations, Vladimir Grupcev

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, first the tanh method, a method for obtaining exact traveling wave solutions to nonlinear differential equations, is introduced and described. Then the method is applied to two classes of Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations. The first one is a system of two (1 + 1)-dimensional nonlinear Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) type equations. The second one is a (3 + 1)-dimensional nonlinear wave equation. At the end, a few graphic representations of the obtained solitary wave solutions are provided, in correspondence to different values of the parameters used in the equations.

Influence Of Evapotranspiration On Patterns Of Ground-Water Conductivity In Small Basins, Ana Jiménez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ground-water conductivity data were obtained from shallow wells in a 12 km2 stream-basin along a 400 m transect, extending from the divide to the stream. The stream, Pringle Branch, is a second-order perennial stream in Hillsborough County, Florida. The shallow stratigraphy consists of 2-3 m of fine sand over a layer of clayey silt and silty clay. Vegetation cover includes grasses on the upper and middle slope, and riparian woodlands on the foot slope and floodplain. Precipitation is about 1.3 m per year. Shallow ground-water conductivity is about 50 uS/cm at the divide. It increases moderately along the mid slope, …

On Comparison Of Indentation Models, John Louis Daly Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Thin films that are functionally gradient improve the mechanical properties

of film-substrate layered materials. Mechanical properties of such materials are

found by using indentation tests. In this study, finite element models are

developed to simulate the indentation test. The models are based on an

axisymmetric half space of a specimen subjected to spherical indentation. The

film layer through the thickness is modeled to have either homogeneous material

properties or nonhomogeneous material properties that vary linearly.

Maximum indenter displacement, and maximum normal and shear

stresses at the interface are compared between the homogeneous model and

the nonhomogeneous model for pragmatic contact …

Kauffman-Harary Conjecture For Virtual Knots, Mathew Williamson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, we examine Fox colorings of virtual knots, and moves called k-swap moves defined for virtual knot diagrams. The k-swap moves induce a one-to-one correspondence between colorings before and after the move, and can be used to reduce the number of virtual crossings. For the study of colorings, we characterize families of alternating virtual knots to generalize (2, n)-torus knots, alternating pretzel knots, and alternating 2-bridge knots. The k-swap moves are then applied to prove a "virtualization" of the Kauffman-Harary conjecture, originally stated for classical knot diagrams, for the above families of virtual pretzel knot diagrams.

Maximizing Manipulation Capabilities Of Persons With Disabilities Using A Smart 9-Degree-Of-Freedom Wheelchair-Mounted Robotic Arm System, Redwan M. Alqasemi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Physical and cognitive disabilities make it difficult or impossible to perform simple personal or job-related tasks. The primary objective of this research and development effort is to assist persons with physical disabilities to perform activities of daily living (ADL) using a smart 9-degrees-of-freedom (DOF) modular wheelchair-mounted robotic arm system (WMRA).

The combination of the wheelchair's 2-DoF mobility control and the robotic arm's 7-DoF manipulation control in a single control mechanism allows people with disabilities to do many activities of daily living (ADL) tasks that are otherwise hard or impossible to accomplish. Different optimization methods for redundancy resolution are explored and …

Internalized Racism As A Moderator For Stereotype Threat: Effects On Self-Handicapping, Performance, And Cardiovascular Responses In Black Individuals, Nicole Ellis Jagusztyn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between internalized racism, stereotype threat, self-handicapping, test performance, and cardiovascular responses in Black individuals. Stereotype threat, or apprehension about confirming a negative stereotype, has been shown to lead to self-handicapping, poor academic performance, as well as increased cardiovascular reactivity. Internalized racism, or the acceptance of negative stereotypes about one's group, is a factor that may moderate these relationships. One-hundred nine (84% female, 16% male) Black undergraduates participated in a laboratory study. Half of the participants were put in a stereotype-threatened condition and the other half were in a neutral …

The Constructions Of Fay Weldon, Woman Of Letters, Harriet Blymiller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary British novelist Fay Weldon negotiates the postmodern "culture industry" as the self-conscious heir to a traditon of women writers dating back to the Middle Ages. Like her predecessors, Weldon defensively and offensively negotiates ideological constructions of womanhood, including injunctions to chastity, modesty, and silence; prohibitions against formal education for women; disdain for the literary production and commercial success of women writers; and the application of double standards in the critical reception of their works. Modernizing the strategies traditionally deployed by women writers, Weldon engages with the advertising industry and the mass-oriented literature of radio and television, using them to …

Evaluation Of Unknown Foundations, Ronald W. Florkowski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, bridge foundations have been in the spotlight throughout the nation. Bridges built over running water are susceptible to erosion or scour around their foundations. The reduction in load capacity to piers and abutments pose a safety risk to highway motorists. It has become necessary for engineers to examine and monitor these "scour critical" bridges. The difficulty arises with subsurface foundations of which very little is known about their construction. Hence, the methods applied to analyzing "Unknown Foundations" have become a necessary topic of research.

This thesis explores a method to determine foundation lengths. Similar to Sonic Echo …

The Relationship Of Initial Flooding Depositional Facies To Global Sea Level And Climate On The Marion Plateau, Ne Australia (Odp Leg 194), Katherine T. Ciembronowicz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Coral Sea has been the host to a variety of large carbonate platforms over the geologic past and presently hosts the world's largest system of coral reefs, the Great Barrier Reef, stretching more then 2,300 km along Australia's northeast coast. The Marion Plateau, which today is the site of 400 m deep hemipelagic sediment drifts, once supported two large carbonate platforms that were precursors to reef growth on the central and southern Great Barrier Reef. Previous work examining the growth phases, drownings and rejuvenation of these platforms is extensive. The purpose of this research is to examine the factors …

Tunable Patch Antenna Using Semiconductor And Nano-Scale Barium Strontium Titanate Varactors, Samuel Andrew Baylis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Patch antennas are fundamental elements in many microwave communications systems. However, patch antennas receive/transmit signals over a very narrow bandwidth (typically a maximum of 3% bandwidth). Design modifications directed toward bandwidth expansion generally yield 10% to 40% bandwidth.

The series varactor tuned patch antenna configuration was the bandwidth enhancement method explored in this research; this configuration is implemented by dividing a patch antenna into multiple sections and placing varactors across the resultant gaps. In addition to yielding a large bandwidth, the configuration has a number of ancillary benefits, including straightforward integration and design flexibility. Through the research represented by this …

Design Of A Rear-Wheel After-Market Suspension System For Manual Wheelchairs, Rick Daniel Bierworth

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to design and build an after-market suspension for the rear wheels of a manual wheelchair. Suspension for wheelchairs is important because it has been reported that the International Organization for Standards' requirements for vibration loads on wheelchair users (ISO 2631-1), are not meet by today's standard wheelchairs. Today's wheelchairs need to be able to absorb everyday shock loads, thereby minimizing the energy transmitted to the user.

The chosen design is based around the concept of adding shock reduction material between the hub of the wheel, and the axel bolt that connects the wheel to …