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2006

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The Effects Of Deregulation On Rail Rates: A Study On Wheat, Barley, Corn, Oat, And Soybean, Daniel Martin Vinje Jan 2006

The Effects Of Deregulation On Rail Rates: A Study On Wheat, Barley, Corn, Oat, And Soybean, Daniel Martin Vinje

Agribusiness and Applied Economics

Although the original intent of this study was to do a pre-and post-deregulation assessment of rail rates per ton-mile, the results using post-deregulation data show a significant decrease in rail rates between 1981 and 2000. While accounting for changes in shipment characteristics, savings for wheat, barley, com, oat, and soybean shippers were 63.80%, 69.17%, 49.07%, 67.97%, and 59.36%, respectively. Rate savings over time for an average 1981 shipment were 45%, 55%, 38%, 45%, and 36% for wheat, barley, com, oat, and soybean shippers, respectively. Analysis regarding the effects of deregulation of rail rates on com, soybean, and wheat on a …

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Determining And Evaluating Cost-Effective Food Safety Risk Reduction Strategies At Retail Meat Facilities, Linda Lehrke Jan 2006

Determining And Evaluating Cost-Effective Food Safety Risk Reduction Strategies At Retail Meat Facilities, Linda Lehrke

Agribusiness and Applied Economics

In spite of the documented success of Pathogen Reduction and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (PR/HACCP) at the processing level, farm-level and retail-level application is optional. Several factors impact the gap of food safety regulations from farm to fork. This thesis focuses on the retail level. At the retail level, pathogen survival and the associated ability to cause further disease to humans even after being subjected to certain processing and packaging conditions have varying implications on the probability of sickness or death. This issue also arises over the fact that, sometimes, appropriate handling and processing instructions are not properly …

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Case Studies In Farm Management, Karl Nelson Jodock Jan 2006

Case Studies In Farm Management, Karl Nelson Jodock

Agribusiness and Applied Economics

Previous research on teaching methods in economics demonstrates the need for active learning. The use of case studies is one way to fill that need. Two case studies are developed; they can be used to give students experience in applying farm management concepts to real farm management decisions. Students are given the opportunity to analyze an expansion decision at a typical North Dakota cash crop farm. Students also evaluate a producer's marketing strategies, develop marketing plans, and make recommendations for the future. Teaching notes are included to provide guidance for the instructor. The case studies are expected to provide an …

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The Perceptual Constraints On Pictorial Realism, Jennifer Mcmahon Jan 2006

The Perceptual Constraints On Pictorial Realism, Jennifer Mcmahon

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

No abstract provided.

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Image-Based Nanocrystallography With Online Database Support, Peter Moeck, Ján Zahornadsky, Boris Dusek Jan 2006

Image-Based Nanocrystallography With Online Database Support, Peter Moeck, Ján Zahornadsky, Boris Dusek

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The crystallographic phase and morphology of many materials change with the crystal size so that new needs arise to determine the crystallography of nanocrystals. Direct space high-resolution phase-contrast transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and atomic resolution scanning TEM (STEM) when combined with tools for image-based nanocrystallography in two (2D) and three (3D) dimensions possess the capacity to meet these needs. After a concise discussion of lattice-fringe visibility spheres and maps, this paper discusses lattice-fringe fingerprinting in 2D and tilt protocol applications. On-line database developments at Portland State University (PSU) that support image-based nanocrystallography are also mentioned.

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Lattice Fringe Fingerprinting In Two Dimensions With Database Support, Peter Moeck, B. Seipel, R. Bjorge, P. Fraundorf Jan 2006

Lattice Fringe Fingerprinting In Two Dimensions With Database Support, Peter Moeck, B. Seipel, R. Bjorge, P. Fraundorf

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

A brief introduction to lattice fringe fingerprinting in two dimensions (2D) with database support is given. The method is employed for the identification of the crystal phase of a small ensemble of nanocrystals. The enhanced viability of this method in aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopes (TEMs) and scanning TEMs (STEMs) is also illustrated.

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Legal Limitations On Genetic Research And The Commercialization Of Its Results, Radhika Rao, Michael J. Malinowski Jan 2006

Legal Limitations On Genetic Research And The Commercialization Of Its Results, Radhika Rao, Michael J. Malinowski

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

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A New Color-Magnitude Diagram For Palomar 11, Matthew S. Lewis, W. M. Liu, N. E. Q. Paust, Brian Chaboyer Jan 2006

A New Color-Magnitude Diagram For Palomar 11, Matthew S. Lewis, W. M. Liu, N. E. Q. Paust, Brian Chaboyer

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present new photometry for the Galactic thick-disk globular cluster Palomar 11 extending well past the main-sequence turnoff in the V and I bands. This photometry shows noticeable, but depleted, red giant and subgiant branches. The difference in magnitude between the red horizontal branch (red clump) and the subgiant branch is used to determine that Palomar 11 has an age of 10.4 ± 0.5 Gyr. The red clump is used to derive a distance d⊙ = 14.3 ± 0.4 kpc and a mean cluster reddening of E(V - I) = 0.40 ± 0.03. There is differential …

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Ubvi Ccd Photometry Of The Old Open Cluster Berkeley 17, Zosia A. C. Krusberg, Brian Chaboyer Jan 2006

Ubvi Ccd Photometry Of The Old Open Cluster Berkeley 17, Zosia A. C. Krusberg, Brian Chaboyer

Dartmouth Scholarship

Photometric UBVI CCD photometry is presented for NGC 188 and Berkeley 17. Color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) are constructed and reach well past the main-sequence turnoff for both clusters. Cluster ages are determined by means of isochrone fitting to the cluster CMDs. These fits are constrained to agree with spectroscopic metallicity and reddening estimates. Cluster ages are determined to be 7.0 ± 0.5 Gyr for NGC 188 and 10.0 ± 1.0 Gyr for Berkeley 17, where the errors refer to uncertainties in the relative age determinations. These ages are compared to the ages of relatively metal-rich inner halo/thick-disk globular clusters and other …

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Are Respiratory Behaviors Affected In Individuals With Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia?, Katie Biedess Jan 2006

Are Respiratory Behaviors Affected In Individuals With Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia?, Katie Biedess

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ADSD) is a focal dystonia that is characterized by voice breaks due to involuntary contractions of the adductor muscles of the vocal folds. These spasms can interfere with the coordination and balance of the respiratory and phonatory systems interfering with normal voice production. Disruptions in normal respiratory behaviors are well documented in inviduals with laryngeal disorders, including ADSD. Previous research regarding respiratory processes in ADSD has focused on airflow and pressure; however, there are many other parameters that have not been considered and may shed new light on the respiratory behaviors of individuals with ADSD. Therefore, the …

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Mathematical Model Of Arsenic Adsorption In A Modified Zeolite / Microfiltration System, Miles B. Beamguard Jan 2006

Mathematical Model Of Arsenic Adsorption In A Modified Zeolite / Microfiltration System, Miles B. Beamguard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Carcinogenic health concerns over arsenic in drinking water caused the USEPA to reduce the maximum contaminant level (MCL) from 50 to 10 ppb, effective on January 23, 2006. This has forced many smaller utilities into expensive treatment or discontinuation of water distribution. Researchers throughout the world are working to develop an inexpensive method for arsenic removal to meet this MCL. Aluminum silicates, or zeolites, are naturally occurring ionic sorbents. Modification of a zeolite may enhance adsorption capacities and ion selectivity. This research investigates the arsenic adsorption capacities of a modified Chabazite. This adsorption, coupled with a hollow fiber, microfiltration membrane …

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Arts In New Directions The Development And Application Of A Construct That Uses The Arts To Promote Transformation And Self-Actualization In Health Care And Education/Therapy, Alexxis Avalon Jan 2006

Arts In New Directions The Development And Application Of A Construct That Uses The Arts To Promote Transformation And Self-Actualization In Health Care And Education/Therapy, Alexxis Avalon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Artistic methods to evoke relaxation, spark creativity, and change self-perceptions are already being used by therapists, educators, and scientists. Interdisciplinary collaborations among researchers are developing to create new paradigms that incorporate the use of arts to empower individuals. By describing various connections between the arts and participants, researchers are looking at the expressive arts (including dance, music, drama, poetry, and visual arts) for transformation and self-actualization.The problem is that no construct is available to describe the transformation, "the conscious move from one deep structure of knowledge to another" (Wilber, 2004), that occurs when using the arts in health care and …

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Implications Of Sleep Disorders Symptoms On School Behavior, Academics, And Quality Of Life, Erin Elizabeth Ax Jan 2006

Implications Of Sleep Disorders Symptoms On School Behavior, Academics, And Quality Of Life, Erin Elizabeth Ax

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric sleep problems are among the most common yet significant pediatric health issues faced by families. Sleep problems can impact social-emotional and academic functioning of schoolchildren. Once identified, pediatric sleep problems and disorders are treatable with effective and rapid behavioral and medical interventions. The purpose of the current study was to determine the prevalence rates of symptoms of sleep disorders in a diverse school-based sample as well as the relationship between symptoms of sleep disorders and school behavior, academic achievement, and quality of life. The present study examined the relationship between the independent variables of No Sleep Disorders symptoms and …

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Adolescent Alcohol Use And Educational Outcomes, Wesley A. Austin Jan 2006

Adolescent Alcohol Use And Educational Outcomes, Wesley A. Austin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is some controversy over whether adolescent alcohol use has deleterious causal effects on educational outcomes. In particular, does drinking reduce academic performance and school enrollment rates and increase truancy, or does the observed negative correlation between drinking and educational outcomes merely reflect common unobservable factors? This dissertation sheds further light on the issue by estimating the causal impacts of alcohol use on various educational outcomes. Specifically, an instrumental variables model is estimated to study the effects of several drinking measures on grades, school enrollment and absenteeism.

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Study Of Laplace And Related Probability Distributions And Their Applications, Gokarna Raj Aryal Jan 2006

Study Of Laplace And Related Probability Distributions And Their Applications, Gokarna Raj Aryal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of the present study is to investigate a probability distribution that can be derived from the laplace probability distribution and can be used to model various real world problems. In the last few decades, there has been a growing interest in the construction of flexible parametric classes of probability distributions. Various forms of the skewed and kurtotic distributions have appeared in the literature for data analysis and modeling. In particular, various forms of the skew laplace distribution have been introduced and applied in several areas including medical science, environmental science, communications, economics, engineering and finance, among others. In …

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A Case Study Of A School Implementing A Constructivist Philosophy, Joseph C. Brown Jan 2006

A Case Study Of A School Implementing A Constructivist Philosophy, Joseph C. Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Isaacson's (2004) dissertation chronicles the implementation of a constructivist instructional approach at Southwood Elementary School. Southwood's faculty experienced a change of principals, which the Tri-Partite Theory of Organizational Change and Succession, a theory of organizational entropy, predicts could lead to organizational entropy. This study examines the dynamics of the change in principal, as well as Isaacson's recommendation to study teachers' perceptions regarding the maintenance of the constructivist approach. This study answers three questions: 1) Are faculty still using constructivist strategies? 2) What are teacher perceptions regarding the maintenance and support of constructivist philosophy? 3) Is there congruence between what literature …

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Statistical Modeling And Assessment Of Software Reliability, Louis Richard Camara Jan 2006

Statistical Modeling And Assessment Of Software Reliability, Louis Richard Camara

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study is concerned with developing some statistical models to evaluate and analyze software reliability. We have developed the analytical structure of the logistic model to be used for testing and evaluating the reliability of a software package. The proposed model has been shown to be useful in the testing and debugging stages of the developmental process of a software package. It is important that prior to releasing a software package to marketing that we have achieved a target reliability with an acceptable degree of confidence. The proposed model has been evaluated and compared with several existing statistical models …

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Cloning And Analysis Of Putative Collagenases Of The U32 Family In Streptococcus Mutans And Streptococcus Agalactiae (Group B Streptococci), Valerie Carson Jan 2006

Cloning And Analysis Of Putative Collagenases Of The U32 Family In Streptococcus Mutans And Streptococcus Agalactiae (Group B Streptococci), Valerie Carson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Analysis of the genomic sequences of Streptococcus mutans UA159 and Group B Streptococcus (GBS) strains Streptococcus agalactiae NEM316 and S. agalactiae 2603V/R indicated the presence of two putative collagenase genes in each organism. smcol1 from S. mutans was previously cloned and analyzed and the results indicated that the enzyme belonged to the U32 family of collagenases/peptidases. This enzyme shares homology with the prtC of Porphyromonas gingivalis, one of the principal examples of the U32 family of peptidases. Considering the potential role of these enzymes in the pathogenicity of P. gingivalis (periodontitis or gum disease), GBS (premature rupture of the amniochorionic …

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Folk Wiki: The Shared Traditions Of Folk Music And The Wiki Way, Phillip Mark Chamberlin Jan 2006

Folk Wiki: The Shared Traditions Of Folk Music And The Wiki Way, Phillip Mark Chamberlin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Wiki is often perceived as representing a revolutionary break from conventional notions of authorship, writing, and textual history. Dialogues concerning Wiki tend to ignore the characteristics that Wiki shares with earlier forms of collaboration, particularly folk music. In both Wiki and folk music, content is often collectively shared and authored, even if specific individuals create and change the content. Many collaborators are anonymous, quasi-anonymous, or pseudo-anonymous, but the perception of this anonymity is, in both genres, problematic. Second, both Wiki documents and folk songs exist in the "Eternal Now," a seemingly perpetual state that makes these texts available for addition, …

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The Effects Of Multimedia Annotations On L2 Vocabulary Immediate Recall And Reading Comprehension: A Comparative Study Of Text-Picture And Audio-Picture Annotations Under Incidental And Intentional Learning Conditions, Zhaohui Chen Jan 2006

The Effects Of Multimedia Annotations On L2 Vocabulary Immediate Recall And Reading Comprehension: A Comparative Study Of Text-Picture And Audio-Picture Annotations Under Incidental And Intentional Learning Conditions, Zhaohui Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigated the effects of multimedia annotation on L2 vocabulary learning and reading comprehension. The overarching objective of this study was to compare the effects of text-picture annotation and audio-picture annotation on L2 vocabulary immediate recall and reading comprehension. This study also sought to examine the different effects under incidental and intentional learning conditions. The participants were 78 intermediate adult ESL learners from three universities in northwest U.S. The participants read an Internet-based English text. Twenty target words, annotated in either text-picture or audio-picture, were embedded in the reading text. The participants accessed the annotations by clicking on the …

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Monitoring Water Quality In Tampa Bay: Coupling In Situ And Remote Sensing, Zhiqiang Chen Jan 2006

Monitoring Water Quality In Tampa Bay: Coupling In Situ And Remote Sensing, Zhiqiang Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water quality in Tampa Bay was examined using concurrent in situ and satellite remote sensing observations. Chlorophyll and suspended sediment concentrations showed large short-term variability, primarily driven by tide and wind forcing. Superimposed on these high frequency variations were recurrent phytoplankton blooms stimulated by decreases in turbidity 1-2 days after wind-induced bottom sediment resuspension events; the blooms were particularly strong if neap tides occurred after the wind events. The in situ data show that observations once per month are inadequate to sample short-term variability and that therefore the current monthly water quality surveys may have uncertainties of -50 to 200% …

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Genetic Variation In The Chloroplast Genome Of A Newly Described Aster Species, Chrysopsis Delaneyi, Justine Ann Clark Jan 2006

Genetic Variation In The Chloroplast Genome Of A Newly Described Aster Species, Chrysopsis Delaneyi, Justine Ann Clark

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The genus Chrysopsis (Asteraceae) contains eleven species native to Florida, including the newly described species, Chrysopsis delaneyi. Populations of this endemic plant species inhabit the Lake Wales Ridge (LWR) and the Atlantic Ridge (AR) of the Florida peninsula. Differences in morphology have been demonstrated within C. delaneyi, based on their locations. My objective was to determine the relationships between the LWR and the AR populations by analysis of chloroplast sequence and nuclear sequence variation. Approximately 160 samples of C. delaneyi and its sister species C. scabrella have been collected from fifteen sites throughout Florida. Six single base differences were detected, …

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The Influence Of Performance Background On Instrumentalists’ Ability To Discriminate And Label Cornet And Trumpet Timbre, Gary Compton Jan 2006

The Influence Of Performance Background On Instrumentalists’ Ability To Discriminate And Label Cornet And Trumpet Timbre, Gary Compton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study was an examination of timbre discrimination and labeling, with specific consideration of the soprano-brass timbres of cornets and trumpets. This study sought to determine whether instrumentalists differed in their ability to label and discriminate cornet and trumpet timbres, and whether these abilities were influenced by the instrumentalists' performing instrument and years of playing experience. Wind, brass and percussion players (n=100) from existing instrumental groups in the Tampa Bay area participated in the study. These groups were collegiate trumpet majors from a large public university school of music, a collegiate wind ensemble from a private university, and a brass …

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Behavioral And Auditory Evoked Potential (Aep) Hearing Measurements In Odontocete Cetaceans, Mandy Lee Hill Cook Jan 2006

Behavioral And Auditory Evoked Potential (Aep) Hearing Measurements In Odontocete Cetaceans, Mandy Lee Hill Cook

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and other odontocete cetaceans rely on sound for communication, navigation, and foraging. Therefore, hearing is one of their primary sensory modalities. Both natural and anthropogenic noise in the marine environment could mask the ability of free-ranging dolphins to detect sounds, and chronic noise exposure could cause permanent hearing losses. In addition, several mass strandings of odontocete cetaceans, especially beaked whales, have been correlated with military exercises involving mid-frequency sonar, highlighting unknowns regarding hearing sensitivity in these animals.Auditory evoked potential (AEP) methods are attractive over traditional behavioral methods for measuring the hearing of marine mammals because they …

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The Association Of Head Circumference With Selected Cognitive Outcomes In Older Adults In Charlotte County, Florida, Cathleen Copenhaver Jan 2006

The Association Of Head Circumference With Selected Cognitive Outcomes In Older Adults In Charlotte County, Florida, Cathleen Copenhaver

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

OBJECTIVE: The brain reserve hypothesis was examined in a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from a community-based sample of 468 older adults residing in Charlotte County, Florida. The objective of the analysis was to determine the association between head circumference and eight cognitive outcomes and to assess any potential effect modification of existing associations by Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype. METHODS: Cognitive outcomes include scores from the Modified Mini-Mental State Exam (3MS), the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R), Stroop Color-Word Test, Trail-Making Test A and B, and a word-stem completion task measuring implicit memory. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each variable. …

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Herbivory By Leaf Miners On Florida Scrub Oaks, Tatiana Cornelissen Jan 2006

Herbivory By Leaf Miners On Florida Scrub Oaks, Tatiana Cornelissen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated effects of plant quality and natural enemies on the abundance and survivorship of several leaf miner species on Florida scrub oaks over several ecological scales. Three oak species (Quercus laevis, Q. geminata, and Q. myrtifolia) and four leafminer species (Acrocercops albinatella, Brachys tesselatus, Stilbosis quadripustulatus, and Cameraria sp. nova) were the main focus of five separate studies, addressing effects of bottom-up and top-down factors at regional, local, and individual scales. At the regional scale, it was observed that Cameraria sp. nova was aggregated into sites, and sites closer to …

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Risk And Protective Factors Related To Resilience In Adolescents In An Alternative Education Program, Kelly M. Crawford Jan 2006

Risk And Protective Factors Related To Resilience In Adolescents In An Alternative Education Program, Kelly M. Crawford

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Using a multivariate correlational design, this study was designed to determine the degree to which selected risk and protective factors were related to resilience in an at-risk student population. A total of 12 individual, family and external risk and protective factors were identified and data were collected from 142 6th through 11th grade students in an alternative education program for individuals who had committed severe behavioral infractions. A series of multiple regression analyses were conducted using three outcome variables: a rating of students' resilient behavior, number of behavior referrals in the students' records, and standardized reading achievement scores. Five percent …

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Drug Resistant Patterns Of Invasive Streptococcus Pneumoniae Infections In The State Of Florida In 2003, Michael T. Drennon Jan 2006

Drug Resistant Patterns Of Invasive Streptococcus Pneumoniae Infections In The State Of Florida In 2003, Michael T. Drennon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major bacterial pathogen which causes pneumoniae, meningitis, otitis media, and bacteremia. Currently there are two vaccines available, Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPV) for adults and the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) for children. The PCV vaccine was developed in 2000 specifically for children and infants due to the ineffectiveness of the PPV vaccine in children. This is a cross sectional study of invasive S. pneumoniae in Florida during 2003. This study is designed to determine the population characteristics, clinically relevant antibiotic resistance patterns and specific risk factors for development of antibiotic resistance of invasive S. pneumoniae. Participants for …

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Community Structure, Faunal Distribution, And Environmental Forcing Of The Extinction Of Marine Molluscs In The Pliocene San Joaquin Basin, Central California, John Richard Bowersox Jan 2006

Community Structure, Faunal Distribution, And Environmental Forcing Of The Extinction Of Marine Molluscs In The Pliocene San Joaquin Basin, Central California, John Richard Bowersox

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on reconstructing the dynamics within the Pliocene San Joaquin Basin (SJB) molluscan fauna. This was accomplished by 'binning' the data within a constrained chronostratigraphic framework into: 1) 484 individual stratigraphically-ordered locality collections; 2.) 116 stratigraphically-sequential compiled ten-meter sample intervals; 3.) 15 intervals compiled by 4th-order eustatic cycles; 4.) three formation-level compiled samples; and 5.) the Etchegoin group fauna (informal San Joaquin Basin nomenclature) overall. These datasets were analyzed by inferential, multivariate, and descriptive statistics to examine local and regional environmental controls on faunal composition, community associations and distributions; cross-scale faunal structure; and large-scale environmental controls on immigration, …

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Nurse Exposure To Waste Anesthetic Gases In A Post Anesthesia Care Unit, Larry A. Flack Jan 2006

Nurse Exposure To Waste Anesthetic Gases In A Post Anesthesia Care Unit, Larry A. Flack

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It has been estimated that over 200,000 healthcare professionals may be exposed to waste anesthetic gases and are at risk of occupational injury. In 1977, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) issued the publication: Criteria for a Recommended Standard....Occupational Exposure to Waste Anesthetic Gases and Vapors. This publication was based primarily on scientific evidence from human and animal studies suggesting that chronic exposures to anesthetic gases increases the risk of both spontaneous abortion and congenital abnormalities in offspring among female workers and wives of male workers exposed to waste anesthetic gases. In this recommended standard, NIOSH defines …

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