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2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (Tnt) Air Concentrations, Hemoglobin Changes, And Anemia Cases In Respirator Protected Tnt Munitions Demilitarization Workers, Melville D. Bradley M.D.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene, TNT, is an explosive used in munitions production that is known to cause both aplastic and hemolytic anemia in exposed workers. Deaths have been reported secondary to both varieties of anemia. Studies have shown that TNT systemic absorption is significant by both the respiratory and dermal routes. A literature review revealed that the most recent review article on TNT exposure arguing for a TWA drop from the PEL to the TLV was in 1977 -- this article cited anemia issues in addition to other untoward effects of TNT. No studies encountered looked at hemoglobin change or anemia cases in …

The Modern Community Garden Movement In The United States: Its Roots, Its Current Condition And Its Prospects For The Future, Joshua Birky

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Numerous researchers have shown that community gardens have the potential to eliminate social, communal, health, agricultural and economic problems that many in the United States and the rest of the world are facing. Yet, throughout history allotment and community gardens have been seen as improper elements of urban landscapes and used predominately for crisis mitigation and not as sustainable solutions. This thesis shows that the current U.S. community garden movement is inherently different than past unsustainable movements and may establish community gardens as sustainable features of many municipalities in the U.S. This is because the modern U.S. movement is supported …

Southern Black Women: Their Lived Realities, Robin M. Boylorn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Focusing on the lived experiences of ten rural black women in a familial community in central North Carolina, this project documents the mundane and extraordinary events of their lives and how they create meaningful lives through storytelling. Theoretically grounded in black feminist thought, intersectionality theory and muted group theory the investigation calls for the use of storytelling and poetry to understand how rural black women experience, live, and communicate their lives. Merging the experiences of participants with the researcher, the study also considers the ethical implications of being an insider-outsider and offers suggestions for engaging in creative scholarship. The author …

Swift: Peculiar Supporter Of Female Writers, Robert N. Gamache

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) is not traditionally known for valuing the company of women. While contemporary critics tend to be more forgiving and defer to the prevailing values of the eighteenth century, they generally do not dwell on the positive influence that Swift had on female writers of his day. This thesis will work towards remedying that omission by analyzing the writing of three prominent female contemporaries of Swift: Delariviere Manley, Mary Barber and Laetitia Pilkington. While varying in writing ability, each of the three women in this thesis had a personal relationship with Swift, was invited to join his "inner …

Ecological Dynamics Of Livebottom Ledges And Artificial Reefs On The Inner Central West Florida Shelf, Jennifer Maria Dupont

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The West Florida Shelf (WFS) is one of the largest and most diversely-used continental shelf/slope systems in the world. The presence of paleoshorelines and scarped hardbottom outcrops (up to 4 m in relief) along the inner shelf (10-30 m depth) provide important habitat for a variety of infaunal, epifaunal, and fish assemblages that contribute to the productivity of the region. This dissertation will present a comprehensive overview of the geological, physical, and chemical settings of the inner West Florida Shelf, with particular focus on biological and ecological community dynamics of epibenthic macroinvertebrates, algae, and fish assemblages. Baseline and comparative data …

Design And Implementation Of An Integrated Dynamic Vision System For Autonomous Systems Operating In Uncertain Domains, Michail Kontitsis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have been successfully used in a wide variety of applications. Their value as surveillance platforms has been proven repeatedly in both military and civilian domains. As substitutes to human inhabited aircraft, they fulfill missions that are dull, dirty and dangerous. Representative examples of successful use of UAS are in areas including battlefield assessment, reconnaissance, port security, wildlife protection, wildfire detection, search and rescue missions, border security, resource exploration and oil spill detection. The reliance of almost every UAS application on the ability to sense, detect, see and avoid from a distance has motivated …

Emergency Department Capacity Planning For A Pandemic Scenario: Nurse Allocation, Florentino Antonio Rico

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The problem considered in this research is the efficient allocation of resources in an emergency department during a large flow of patient consequent to a pandemic influenza breakout. Predicting the impact of a Pandemic Influenza is very complex due to the many unknown variables that may play a role to how severe a pandemic can be. Scenario planning is considered in this research to forecast different potential outcomes and help decision makers better understand the role of uncertainties and become prepared to make important decisions. The goal is to first create a forecast model to estimate the patient demand during …

Loyalty Of Online Faculty: A Work Design Perspective Of The Impact Of A Telecommuting Work Environment On Employee Loyalty, Kenneth N. Pereira

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT This study empirically evaluates the theoretical impact of a telecommuting or online work environment on employee loyalty. While the concept of employee loyalty has been extensively researched, the concept of the impact of the work environment on employee loyalty is fairly new. Specifically, this study operationally defines the work environment characteristics that contribute to employee loyalty and examines the impact of the online or telecommuting work environment on employee loyalty. A survey instrument is utilized to collect perceptual data about the psychological components of the work environment and their impact on employee loyalty from the employee's perspective. Multiple linear …

The Influence Of Parental Support On Antisocial Behavior Among Sixth Through Eleventh Graders, José Ordóñez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of this study was to explore the influence of parental support on antisocial behavior among 1514 adolescents from Sarasota County (Florida). An integrated multilevel approach was developed considering elements of the social support paradigm and social learning theory. Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM), the results suggest that both paternal and maternal support were significant factors in the prevention of antisocial behavior. However, paternal support demonstrated to be stronger when students justified school misbehavior. At the school level, the findings suggest that the influence of parental support to reduce antisocial behavior competes with favorable definitions toward crime learned …

Generation Capacity Expansion In Restructured Energy Markets, Vishnuteja Nanduri

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With a significant number of states in the U.S. and countries around the world trading electricity in restructured markets, a sizeable proportion of capacity expansion in the future will have to take place in market-based environments. However, since a majority of the literature on capacity expansion is focused on regulated market structures, there is a critical need for comprehensive capacity expansion models targeting restructured markets. In this research, we develop a two-level game-theoretic model, and a novel solution algorithm that incorporates risk due to volatilities in profit (via CVaR), to obtain multi-period, multi-player capacity expansion plans. To solve the matrix …

Temporal Registration Of Mammograms By Finite Element Simulation Of Mr Breast Volume Deformation, Yan Qiu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Clinically it is important to combine information provided by mammographic images from multiple views or at different times. Taking regular mammographic screening and comparing corresponding mammograms are necessary for early detection of breast cancer, which is the key to successful treatment. However, mammograms taken at different times are often obtained under different compressions, orientations or body positions. A temporal pair of mammograms may vary quite significantly due to the spatial disparities caused by the variety in acquisition environments, including the 3D position of the breast, the amount of the pressure applied, etc. Such disparities can be corrected through the process …

A Framework For Resource Assignments In Skill-Based Environments, Luis Daniel Otero

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The development of effective personnel assignment methodologies has been the focus of research to academicians and practitioners for many years. The common theory among researchers is that improvements to the effectiveness of personnel assignment decisions are directly associated with favorable outcomes to organizations. Today, companies continue to struggle to develop high quality products in a timely fashion. This elevates the necessity to further explore and improve the decision-making science of personnel assignments. The central goal of this research is to develop a novel framework for human resource assignments in skill-based environments. An extensive literature review resulted in the identification of …

Power-Control Theory: An Examination Of Private And Public Patriarchy, Jessica Nicole Mitchell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The gender difference in crime is indisputable. In an attempt to explain gender differences in adolescents' involvement in crime, secondary data analysis of middle and high school students and their neighborhoods will be examined. Feminists have identified the concept of patriarchy as the root of gender differences in all behavior and particularly in criminal behavior. Hagan's Power-Control Theory incorporates the concept of patriarchy through measures within home to examine how differences in occupational authority between parents affects the gender difference in delinquency through differential controls placed on sons and daughters. However, it has been suggested that the measure of patriarchy …

Caregivers Of Adults With Intellectual Disabilities: The Relationship Of Compound Caregiving And Reciprocity To Quality Of Life, Elizabeth A. Perkins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between compound caregiving (i.e. multiple caregiving roles), and reciprocity to the wellbeing of older caregivers of adult children with intellectual disabilities. The study sample was composed of 91 caregivers with a mean age of 60 years. Participants were a convenience sample of caregivers predominantly residing in Florida. Care recipients' mean age was 29 years. Thirty-four were currently compound caregivers. Quality of life indicators used as outcome measures in this dissertation were life satisfaction, depressive symptomatology, physical health, mental health, and desire for alternative residential placement of the care recipient. Compared with the non-compound caregivers, the …

Finding Confucianism In Scientology: A Comparative Analysis, John Albert Kieffer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Scientology holds considerable interest for scholars of new religious movements. As such, this study aims to contribute new data and insight to ongoing theoretical work within this area of religious studies scholarship. Engaged in this inquiry are the similarities between Scientology, the new religious movement founded in 1951 by L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986), and the Chinese religion, Confucianism, which originates with the teachings of Confucius (551-479 BCE). Though Hubbard admits being influenced by eastern thinking such as Buddhism and Daoism in shaping his worldview, he specifically discounts Confucius as relevant in this regard. However, through comparisons between Scientology and Confucianism, …

Operational Evaluation Of Advanced Safety Enhancement Devices: Rearview Video System, Achilleas Kourtellis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since the creation of the automobile, there has been an effort to create and implement mechanical and electronic devices that would improve vehicle safety. In recent years, electronic technologies have become more efficient and cost effective, therefore creating a great spike in widespread implementation. These safety related devices have to be tested for their reliability and amount of help they provide the driver with. The end user (the driver) has to be involved for a successful device. This research presents the methodology used to evaluate the effectiveness of the rearview video system (RVS) used in vehicles, especially in large commercial …

Intervention In Painting By Marlene Dumas With Titles Of Engagement: Ryman's Brides, Reinhardt's Daughter And Stern, Susan King Klinkenberg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Marlene Dumas is known for her portraits and figurative paintings and drawings. This study focuses on three paintings by Dumas that reference male icons of art: Stern (2004), Ryman's Brides (1997), and Reinhardt's Daughter (1994). In referencing Ad Reinhardt, Robert Ryman and in the case of Stern, Gerhard Richter, Dumas engages with each artist and the history of painting in specific ways. As this thesis title indicates, I argue that Dumas uses artistic allusion pervasively throughout her oeuvre to conduct an intervention in painting. I propose that this interposition is a way to navigate and question the canon, while strengthening …

Shadows Fall On Main Street: Film Noir Travels Out Of The City, Anthony Laporte

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

After World War II, film audiences of American crime dramas, later termed film noirs, witnessed the relocation of several film narratives to settings outside of the traditional urban environment. These films began to defy the conventional notion that crime only exists in densely populated cities and began to incorporate alternative spaces, like suburban communities, small towns, and the open road, to tell their stories. This thesis examines how social and geographical spaces contribute to, rather than oppose, a noir sensibility by employing an intertextual analysis of three film noirs set in locations out of the city: Fallen Angel, The Stranger, …

“You‟Re Going To Hollywood!”: Gender And Race Surveillance And Accountability In American Idol Contestant‟S Performances, Amanda Leblanc

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines how the reality competition television program American Idol serves to reinforce gendered, racialized and heteronormative stereotypes, particularly for female contestants. Through its "democratic" style of public audience voting, those competitors who not only sing well, but also perform their gender and race to standards which have been deemed by the judges to be appropriate mainstream American culture, prove to be the most successful on the program. Through a content analysis of the show's first four seasons, I find that those female contestants who begin their tenure in the contest by fitting into categories which would be considered …

Social Network Web Sites And Intra-Organizational Relationships: Using Facebook To Build Employee Relationships At Serena Software, Rianna K. Lee Sing

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the use of Facebook as a tool to build relationships at work among employees of global technology company Serena Software. Email interviews with 13 Serena Software employees demonstrated that the social network site is in fact building relationships among them. Participants attributed information sharing as the element that most helped them to build relationships with each other. The interviews revealed evidence of the characteristics of relationship quality: trust, commitment and satisfaction. However, participants expressed a different definition of the fourth characteristic - control mutuality - in their Facebook relationships. The results showed that participants did not define …

Numerical Heat Transfer During Partially–Confined, Confined, And Free Liquid Jet Impingement With Rotation And Chemical Mechanical Planarization Process Modeling, Jorge C. Lallave-Cortes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Afro-Colombian Welfare: An Application Of Amartya Sen’S Capability Approach Using Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes Modeling – Mimic, Paula Lezama

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research analyzes welfare conditions of Afro-Colombians vis-à-vis non Afro-Colombians using Amartya Sen's Capability Approach as the theoretical framework, and the latent variable modeling as the empirical method. Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes (MIMIC) models are estimated using data from the Colombian Quality of Life Survey, 2003. Two latent constructs, namely, 'knowledge' and 'being adequately sheltered', represent the two 'Capability' dimensions to be analyzed. Ethnic background appears to have a consistently negative influence after controlling statistically by a set of relevant variables (e.g. being poor, area, marital status, age and gender, among others) included in the models as exogenous "causes" or …

Initial Identity Level And Cooperation In Face-To-Face And Computer-Mediated Contexts, Matthew C. Lineberry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Organizations today are increasingly encouraging employees to engage in pro-social behaviors at work, though this effort may be hindered by the increasing reliance on computers to mediate workplace interpersonal interactions. While much research has been directed at computer-mediated teams performing highly interdependent tasks, there is a need to examine the effect of computer mediation on individual vs. collective identification and cooperation for employees in less overtly interdependent tasks. This study examined the role of group members' conscious and non-conscious identity level in the relationship between physical context and cooperation with a work group. 50 groups of 4 participants each worked …

Synthesis And Characterization Of A Novel Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Composites Using Copper-4, 4’- Trimethylenedipyridine Metal-Organic Framework As Fillers, Shisi Liu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A novel Poly (methyl methacrylate) Composites using Copper-4, 4'- Trimethylenedipyridine Metal-Organic Framework as Fillers (CTMOF) had been synthesized and analyzed. The CTMOF structure had been characterized by X-ray crystallography. The thermal and mechanical properties of CTMOF-PMMA composites had been examined via optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), microhardness, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The results showed the increase of Glass transition temperatures and the improvement of mechanical properties of the PMMA composites as the concentration of CBMOF loading increased.

Maternal Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices And Health Outcomes Of Their Preschool-Age Children In Urban And Rural Karnataka, India, Angela Lloyd

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This cross-sectional, community-based study was designed to compare the health outcomes of 2 - 5 year-old children in different types of preschools. The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), run by the government of India, created a system of preschools, called anganwadis, to combat malnutrition, provide health education for mothers, and preschool for children 2 - 6 years old in 1975. Many children attend their local anganwadis, while others attend private schools, and others do not attend school at all. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to interview 125 urban and 130 rural mothers regarding their knowledge, attitudes, and practices about acute …

Character Strengths And Virtues Of Young Internationally Adopted Chinese Children: A Longitudinal Study From Preschool To School Age, Troy Loker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Shifting from traditional deficit-based psychological research, the current study aimed to broaden the understanding of post-adoption development through a strength-based approach and further explore the recently developed Values in Action (VIA) Classification of Character Strengths among a particularly resilient population of young children-internationally adopted Chinese children. Archival longitudinal data of parents' descriptions about their adopted Chinese children's positive characteristics were analyzed from two time points two years apart. Data on 179 children ages 4 - 5 years old (M = 59.67 months SD = 6.60 months) in Time 1 from 172 families were analyzed with content analysis coding procedures.

Overall, …

Condition | Recondition: Reconstruction Of The City And Its Collective Memory, C Lopez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Worldwide, dense urban spaces have been organized and transformed by cultural values. However, in many cases, changes in economic and social conditions have resulted in fragmentation of neighborhood typologies, in terms of their physical characteristics and uses. Such spaces are a manifestation of development, expansion, dislocation and marginalization; a condition that can be improved through an architectural and urban strategy which inscribes emerging forces into the neglected zones of marginal territories. The contemporary context calls for a re-evaluation of public space. To fully engage the people, it is a necessary function of public space to blur landscape, architecture and infrastructure, …

Multiple Approaches To The Validation Of The Scores From The Study Anxiety Inventory, George Douglas Lunsford

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Study Anxiety Inventory (SAI), consisting of the factors of worry and emotionality, was developed to measure college students' self-reported levels of anxiety while studying for an exam. Data from 2002 undergraduate students from four colleges (Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Business, and Education) at a southeastern state university were used to evaluate the validity of the scores from the 16-item Study Anxiety Inventory. Results of confirmatory factor analyses for the two factor model, conducted separately for each college, indicated marginally acceptable fit for the data (median fit measures across the four colleges: CFI =.915, SRMR=.049, RMSEA=.098), a pattern that was …

The Neoconservative War On Modernity: The Bush Doctrine And Its Resistance To Legitimation, Ben Luongo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Bush Doctrine represents a paradigm shift in international security policy. Never had a foreign policy demonstrated such will through unilateralism, preemptive militarism, and a sense of exceptionalism. I argue that this shift in policy resists modern international order in an attempt to reestablish ancient modes of power and control. The international system maintains order through rules and institutions which are perceived to be legitimate because they have the consent of the governed. An example of this would be the UN, where member states engage in a democratic deliberation geared towards reaching understanding and consensus. However, order breaks down when …

Photography’S Creative Influence On Lewis Carroll’S Alice’S Adventures In Wonderland And Through The Looking Glass And What Alice Found There, Bridget Mahoney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lewis Carroll's novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There share many characteristics with the author's photographs. Both Carroll's portraits and literature utilize dreamlike imagery to move beyond the present time and space into a dream world. The similar imagery demonstrates an important creative link between Carroll's novels and photographs. The creation of Carroll's masterpiece, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, creatively depended on the photographic images Carroll produced. Utilizing the four step process of creativity generally accepted by psychologists, Carroll's photographs are …