Digital Commons Network^™

Using Multiwavelength Uv-Visible Spectroscopy For The Characterization Of Red Blood Cells: An Investigation Of Hypochromism, Akihisa Nonoyama

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Particle analysis using multiwavelength UV-visible spectroscopy provides the potential for extracting quantitative red blood cell information, such as hemoglobin concentration, cell size, and cell count. However, if there is a significant presence of hypochromism as a result of the concentrated hemoglobin (physiological value of 33%), successful quantification of red cell values would require a correction.

Hypochromism has been traditionally defined as a decrease in absorption relative to the values expected from the Beer-Lambert Law due to electronic interactions of chromophores residing in close proximity of one another. This phenomenon has been suggested to be present in macroscopic systems composed of …

Racial Equity In Exclusionary Discipline Practices, Mary M. Tremper

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined whether external (out-of-school) suspensions are applied equitably to students of different ethnic backgrounds who commit violent and nonviolent offenses. The hypotheses presented in this study were addressed through secondary analysis of disciplinary records from a large metropolitan school district in Florida.

The results indicate that, for the group of 1,667 tenth grade students included in this analysis, racial equity was related to the type of offense, as well as to the student's socioeconomic status. Racial differences were found when SES was not considered, with African American students more likely to be suspended from school for status …

Predicting Low Income Children's Kindergarten Readiness: An Investigation Of Parents’ Perceptions Of Their Children's Development And Connections To The Educational System, Nakeba N. Finlayson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study sought to explore the relationship between four parent variables and children's Early Screening Inventory-Kindergarten (ESI-K) scores among families from low socioeconomic status backgrounds. The four parent variables were 1) parents' perceptions of school readiness, 2) parents' education, and 3) parents' attitudes towards their child's school, 4) the child's early development. The participants were 63 parents and their kindergarten children from three schools in Hillsborough County Florida. Results showed that parents are relatively good predictors of their children's readiness for school, with that variable alone accounting for 18% of the variance in ESI-K scores. The four variables together …

Influence Of The So3 Content Of Cement On The Durability And Strength Of Concrete Exposed To Sodium Sulfate Environment, Amin A. Hanhan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this investigation was to assess the influence of the SO₃ content on the durability and strength of portland cement.

Four portland cements were used in this study. The cements had a variable tricalcium silicate, tricalcium aluminate, and alkali contents, as well as differences in the amount and form of calcium sulfates. The SO₃ content of the cements was increased by replacing part of the cement by gypsum according to ASTM C 452-95.

Mortar bars and cubes were prepared for the as-received as well as for the cements with an SO₃ content of 3.0% and …

Relation Between Weight Status, Gender, Ethnicity And The Food And Activity Choices Of Adolescents, Heather Leanne Curtiss

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the relationship between the variables weight status (expected weight, overweight), ethnicity, and gender and the dependent variables dietary intake and physical activity behaviors among adolescents. The data presented in this study were collected using the Nutrition Questionnaire for High School Students, which was completed by 199 adolescents in a high school in southwest Florida in February of 2004. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to identify differences in dietary intake and physical activity behaviors between weight status groups.

The primary questions in this study related to interactions and main effects between the variables weight category, …

Microstructure And Magnetism In Ferrite-Ferroelectric Multilayer Films, Natalie A. Frey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Composite magneto-dielectric materials have been investigated over the years because of their potential applications in RF and microwave devices as the dielectric constant and permeability can be individually changed in these materials. In the recent past, there is a renewed interest in systems classified as ferroelectromagnets or multiferroics, which possess simultaneous ferroelectric and magnetic ordering as well as interesting magnetoelastic phenomena. In all these ferrite-ferroelectric materials, the coupling between the permeability (μ) of the magnetically ordered phase and permittivity (e) of the ferroelectric phase make them attractive candidates for multifunctional applications.

Ba_0.5Sr_0.5TiO₃ (BSTO) is a …

Effects Of Participant Engagement On Alcohol Expectancies And Drinking Outcomes For A Computerized Expectancy Challenge Intervention, William Michael Hunt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of varying the amount of participant engagement on alcohol expectancy and drinking outcomes during a social/sexual expectancy challenge based on Darkes and Goldman's (1993, 1998) protocol. This study was also intended to provide a test of the efficacy of administering an alcohol/placebo expectancy challenge outside of a live drinking scenario through video presented as part of a computerized intervention.

One hundred fifty-eight male participants across three sites were randomized into a no-intervention control group that received non alcohol-related information in a minimally interactive computerized format, a low-level engagement experimental …

Protecting Biscayne: An Analysis Of Strategies For The Protection Of Biscayne National Park, Janell M. Harvey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biscayne National Park is located off the southeast coast of Florida and attracts approximately half a million visitors annually. Managers of Biscayne National Park are proposing a new General Management Plan (GMP) in order to update the recreational and commercial use of resources in the park. A Fishery Management Plan (FMP) is also being drafted simultaneously in conjunction with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in order to address concerns associated with management of fish stocks within the park.

The proposed plan alternatives of the GMP and the recommendations of the FMP were developed in response to the negative …

Linearity Optimization Of Power Transistors Utilizing Harmonic Terminations, Ravi Kumar Varanasi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on the characterization and optimization of microwave power transistors using a commercial on-wafer harmonic load pull system. Specific attention is paid to the output tuning of the second harmonic impedance presented to the device. The ability to quantify the level of accuracy in a load pull system is explored by using various calibration validation methods, including a method called Delta-Gt. In this work experiments and simulation comparisons are described for three different device technologies, namely GaAs pHEMT, GaAs HJFET and InGaP HBT. Externally supplied non-linear models were used for the simulations and these were exercised and compared …

Applying The Wrapper Approach For Auto Discovery Of Under-Sampling And Over-Sampling Percentages On Skewed Datasets, Ajay D. Joshi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning applications are plagued by the imbalance observed among the class sizes in many real world datasets. A dataset is said to be skewed or imbalanced when its classes are very unequally represented. A naïve classifier learned from these skewed datasets is always biased towards the majority classes which constitute a major percentage of the samples in the dataset. As a result the accuracy on the minority classes is hampered. In many real world applications like network intrusion detection, cancer detection from mammography images, etc. the events of interest are very rare and the cost of not detecting these …

Limitations Of The Advection-Diffusion Equation For Modeling Tephra Fallout: 1992 Eruption Of Cerro Negro Volcano, Nicaragua, Kristin Terese Martin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Detailed mapping and granulometric analyses of the 1992 Cerro Negro tephra blanket reveal remarkable departures from the expected distribution of tephra. Isomass maps show that the major axis of dispersion for the eruption was to the SW of the cone and that the coarser-grained particles, ranging from -4.0 -- 1.0 f, were deposited primarily along the major axis of dispersion with deposits thinning off of the axis. Comparable isomass maps for finer-grained particles, 1.5 - 3.5 f, show that these particles were primarily deposited along the edges of the deposit, off of the major axis of dispersion. Advection-diffusion models for …

Towards An E-Criture Feminine: Woolf, Duplessis, Cixous, And The Emerging Discursive Tradition In Women’S Online Diaries, Deborah Silverman Bowen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Women are drawing together the concepts of space, style,and medium and using these concepts collectively as a foundation for a new discursive tradition in the online autobiography. This dissertation, positioned in postmodern feminism, draws on a variety of disciplines to argue the development or evolution of a new women's discourse.

While a broad base of material exists which acknowledges the presence of women's discourse (formed by combining women's writing and women's genres), very little information explores its evolution, particularly in/on the new medium of the World Wide Web (WWW).

A combination of extant social and literary theories supports the idea …

Prehistoric Shell Artifacts From The Apalachicola River Valley Area, Northwest Florida, Eric Eyles

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With this thesis, I aim to fill a gap in our knowledge of shell artifacts from the northwest part of the state of Florida. It represents a first look at the range of shell artifacts in the collections of the University of South Florida (USF) obtained during the ongoing program of archaeological investigations in the Apalachicola Valley and surrounding region. There are 46 sites in the study area that have been identified as yielding shell artifacts, of which samples from 27 sites are curated in the USF Archaeology Laboratory. The proposed typology is based on an analysis of over 2300 …

Development Of A Solid Electrolyte For Hydrogen Production, Kiran Sampat Gaikwad

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electrolytic cells convert chemical energy directly into electrical energy cleanly and efficiently. An integral component of a fuel cell and an electrolytic cell is the electrolyte, a material that conducts ions. Liquid electrolytes can be aqueous as in the phosphoric acid and alkaline fuel cells, or molten, as in the molten carbonate fuel cells. A solid electrolyte is preferable because it allows sturdier, more efficient and corrosion resistant systems to be built.

The main objective of this work is to develop a solid electrolyte for hydrogen production by electrolysis of hydrogen sulfide. Barium Hydrogen Phosphate, Barium Dihydrogen Phosphate, Cesium Hydrogen …

Behavioral Vhdl Implementation Of Coherent Digital Gps Signal Receiver, Viswanath Daita

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Global Positioning System is a technology which is gaining acceptance. Originally developed for military purposes, it is being used in civilian applications such as navigation, emergency services, etc. A system-on-chip application merges different functions and applications on a single substrate. This project models a GPS receiver for a system on chip application. The GPS receiver, developed as a core, is intended to be a part of a navigation tour guide being developed. The scope of this work is the GPS C/A code on the L1 carrier. The digital signal processing back-end in a GPS receiver is modelled in this work. …

Behavioral And Rt-Level Estimation And Optimization Of Crosstalk In Vlsi Asics, Suvodeep Gupta

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Downscaling of technology causes signal integrity problems due to crosstalk between closely-spaced interconnect lines. Existing crosstalk estimation and optimization techniques operate at the layout-level of circuits and fail to utilize the efficient design-space exploration at the high-level. To address this, we propose word-level statistical techniques which estimate crosstalk between bus lines: (1) Given a data stream, the first technique simply counts the number of crosstalk events on each bus line. The drawback of this technique is that the execution time is proportional to the stream length. This is overcome by the second enumerative technique which is purely statistical in nature. …

Development Of Assessment Tasks To Measure The Driving Capabilities Of Persons With Disabilities, Ashwin Upadhyay

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The need to lead an independent and fuller life is as much a right of a person with physical disability as any other human being. Driving capabilities of a person with a disability have been assessed and evaluated using qualitative techniques. However, certain inadequacies that arise using qualitative measures can be avoided if the assessment is based on quantitative techniques.

The above requirement necessitates the need to devise a method and a system which is focused on the right development of the techniques used in assessing and measuring different capabilities (such as range of motion and force input) of the …

Creating A Distributed Field Robot Architecture For Multiple Robots, Matthew T. Long

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes the design and implementation of a distributed robot architecture, Distributed Field Robot Architecture. The approach taken in this thesis is threefold. First, the distributed architecture builds on existing hybrid deliberative/reactive architectures used for individual robots rather than creating a distributed architecture that requires re-engineering of existing robots. Second, the distributed layer of the architecture incorporates concepts from artificial intelligence and software agents. Third, the architecture is designed around Suns Jini middleware layer, rather than creating a middleware layer from scratch or attempting to adapt a software agent architecture. This thesis makes three primary contributions, both theoretical and …

Design And Testing Of A Prototype Gripper For A Wheelchair Mounted Robot, Koushik R. Barhale

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The application of technology makes a lot of things easier, but for individuals with disability, it makes things possible. Rehabilitation robotics aims at providing robotic devices, which can act as functional extensions of the user, while performing basic activities. Providing a well-designed gripper as its end-effector can greatly enhance the performance of a rehabilitation robot. The gripper performs simple tasks like picking up objects and manipulating objects, which help in performing activities of daily living.

This thesis describes the development of a prototype gripper for a wheelchair mounted robot. The pre-development surveys conducted before the development of commercialized robotic assistive …

A Vascular Plant Inventory Of Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park, Pasco County, Florida, Emily Ferguson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park, located in southwestern Pasco County, Florida, contains nearly 7,689.06 hectares (19,000 acres) and includes 18 natural communities. A floristic inventory was conducted on approximately 404.69 hectares (1,000 acres) within Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park which included 11 community types. A comparison of those 11 communities in the study area with the rest of the park shows that the dominant community types do occur within the study site, making it representative of the entire park. The objective of this study conducted from May 2003 to October 2004 was to compile a list of the vascular plant …

Adapting The Green And Ampt Model To Account For Air Compression And Counterflow, Darwiche Sabeh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the earliest functions to express infiltration as a function of time was introduced by Green and Ampt. In this study their formula was modified to account for air compression and counterflow. Physically,infiltration, air compression, and counterflow occur simultaneously, while in this model they are decoupled within a time step. Counterflow is calculated as a mass flux and pressure is found using the perfect gas law. First, a comparison of three infiltration methods, the original Green and Ampt formulation, a modified version incorporating air compression only, and the third version including air compression and counterflow, was conducted. Then sensitivity …

Application Of Support Vector Machines And Neural Networks In Digital Mammography: A Comparative Study, Nivedita V. Candade

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microcalcification (MC) detection is an important component of breast cancer diagnosis. However, visual analysis of mammograms is a difficult task for radiologists. Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) technology helps in identifying lesions and assists the radiologist in making his final decision.

This work is a part of a CAD project carried out at the Imaging Science Research Division (ISRD), Digital Medical Imaging Program, Moffitt Cancer Research Center, Tampa, FL. A CAD system had been previously developed to perform the following tasks: (a) pre-processing, (b) segmentation and (c) feature extraction of mammogram images. Ten features covering spatial, and morphological domains were extracted …

An Interdisciplinary Course For Non-Science Majors: Students' Views On Science Attitudes, Beliefs, And The Nature Of Science, Gary Eugene Brannan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study's purpose was to investigate the differences in the attitudes towards science, belief in science, and the understanding of the nature of science between pre-service elementary education majors who took a two-semester interdisciplinary course called "Science That Matters" (ISC 1004 & ISC 1005) with those pre-service elementary education majors who took two undergraduate science courses other than the two-semester interdisciplinary science course.

The research method employed a 30-item survey (Moore & Foy, 1997) entitled Scientific Attitude Inventory II. The survey's participants were two classes who had taken both semesters of the interdisciplinary course (n = 23) compared with six …

Design And Testing Of A Marsupial/Companion Robot Prototype For A Powered Wheelchair, Sashi Kumar Konda

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with disabilities yearn for an increased level of independence, seeking to supplement their missing function(s) and to carry on with their lives with minimal or no assistance from another person. A review of the existing assistive-care products has revealed that many of the defects in these devices, particularly in wheelchair-mounted robots, can be alleviated. Surveys have also identified tasks that users would like to perform by themselves, but are constrained from doing so by using currently available devices. An attempt has been made here to try to resolve these issues by developing a prototype of a marsupial robot that …

The Effect Of Mental Practice Type On Dart-Throwing Performance, Todd Allen Joseph

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study used a sample of 171 college students from the University of South Florida to examine the effects of different types of mental practice on dart-throwing performance. This study examined the effects of imagery and video modeling on an immediately following physical task As suspected, the video modeling condition under these circumstances was associated with poorer performance than the imagery and control conditions. The imagery condition, however, resulted in no difference in performance from the control condition. Discussions of the results and future avenues of research (including gender effects) are also mentioned.

Women Animal Foster Care Workers: An Ecofeminist Critique, Denise L. Roemer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As with other forms of animal rights activism, animal foster care also appears to be dominated by women. In this paper I explore the role of animal foster care in, and its implications for, a Patriarchal society based on hierarchical dualisms. I argue that through their work as animal foster care workers and adoption facilitators these women do create positions of power for themselves, but that those positions remain subordinated to, and in some ways embrace, existing structural power relations--Patriarchy. More specifically, I argue that by constructing and assuming a social role that includes a culturally accepted power differential--the human-animal …

Vhdl Coding Style Guidelines And Synthesis: A Comparative Approach, Shahabuddin L. Inamdar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the transistor density on an integrated circuit doubling every 18 months, Moore’s law seems likely to hold for another decade at least. This exponential growth in digital circuits has led to its increased complexity, better performance and is quickly getting less manageable for design engineers.

To combat this complexity, CAD tools have been introduced and are still being continuously developed, which prove to be of great help in the digital industry. One of the technologies, that is rapidly evolving as an industry standard, is the Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language, (VHDL), language. The VHDL standard language …

Stimulus-Free Rt Level Power Model Using Belief Propagation, Sathishkumar Ponraj

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Power consumption is one of the major bottlenecks in current and future VLSI design. Early microprocessors, which consumed a few tens of watts, are now replaced by millions of transistors and with the introduction of easy-to-design tools to explore at unbelievable minimum dimensions, increase in chip density is increasing at a alarming rate and necessitates faster power estimation methods. Gate level power estimation techniques are highly accurate methods but when time is the main constraint, power has to be estimated a lot higher in the abstraction level. Estimating power at higher levels also saves valuable time and cost involved in …

Modification Of Karst Depressions By Urbanization In Pinellas County, Florida, Kelly V. Wilson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes some of the effects of urbanization in Pinellas County, Florida on the karst landscape. Many sinkholes have been obscured and/or modified for storm water retention by urbanization in Pinellas County, with a few sinkholes still identifiable by characteristic zoning of vegetation, soil moisture, and circular shape. Using aerial photos from 1926 and 2000, karst features were identified by circularity,vegetation, and moisture conditions. Mapping karst surface features using historic aerial photos and maps is a useful exercise that will assist our scientific understanding of karstification in Florida and the nature and extent of karst processes that have acted …

The Subtypes Of Psychopathy And Their Relationship To Hostile And Instrumental Aggression, Diana M. Falkenbach

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Psychopathy is not a diagnostic category, however theories of psychopathy have been discussed throughout psychological history. While the construct of psychopathy is associated with important psychological outcomes, there are inconsistencies in the literature with regard to correlates, etiology and treatment. These inconsistencies suggest that there may be several subtypes of psychopathy. This paper discusses the heterogeneity of psychopathy and considers the existence of psychopathic traits in nonclinical populations. Measures of etiology (Behavioral Activation System and Behavioral Inhibition System; Gray, 1985), psychopathy (Levenson's psychopathy measure; Levenson, Keihl, & Fitzpatrick, 1995) and anxiety (State Trait Anxiety Inventory; Speilberger, Gorsuch & Lushene, 1970) …