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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 …

Gene Expression Profiles And Clinical Parameters For Survival Prediction In Stage Ii And Iii Colorectal Cancer Patients, Mubeena Begum

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prediction of outcome in colorectal cancer (CRC) is currently based on the TNM staging classification; however, histopathological classification alone is insufficient for accurately predicting survival in stage II and III patients. Studies indicate that microarray gene expression profiles can predict survival in CRC. We hypothesize that tumor gene expression in combination with clinical parameters, is a better predictor of outcome in stage II and III colorectal cancers than the TNM stage classification alone. Clinical records and follow-up data were retrospectively reviewed for 58 Stage II and Stage III patients with primary colorectal cancer, who did not receive any neoadjuvant therapy …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

Teaching Strategies Of Successful College Trombone Professors For Undergraduate Students, Matthew T. Buckmaster

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study identified teaching strategies of successful trombone professors for undergraduate trombone students. Participants were three professors at accredited colleges in the United States who had received international awards in the field of trombone pedagogy. A comprehensive interview instrument was administered to each participant in a multiple case studies research design. From the gathered data, a classical content analysis revealed 79 emergent themes from 375 coded passages, with 45 of the emergent themes being commonalities among the three participants. In addition to specific teaching strategies, three meta-themes emerged from an examination of these commonalities: Product Over Process, Individualized Teaching Approaches, …

Enzyme Linked Spectroscopic Assays For Glyoxylate; The Use Of Peptidylglycine Alpha-Amidating Monoxygenase For The Discovery Of Novel Alpha-Amidated Hormones, Sarah Elizabeth Carpenter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Peptide hormones are responsible for cellular functions critical to the survival of an organism. Approximately 50% of all known peptide hormones are post-translationally modified at the C-terminus. Enzymatic oxidative conversion of C-terminal glycine extended peptide precursors results in an a-amidated peptide and glyoxylate. Peptidylglycine a-amidating monooxygenase (PAM) is the single known enzyme responsible for catalyzing this reaction. PAM is an O2, Cu(II), and Zn(II) dependent bifunctional enzyme. Initially, PAM hydroxylates the glycyl a-carbon followed by dealkylation of the hydroxylated intermediate to an a-amidated product and glyoxylate. PAM is also responsible for the conversion of glycine extended fatty acids to fatty …

Stabilization Of Marginal Soils Using Recycled Materials, Delfin G. Carreon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Marginal soils, including loose sands, soft clays, and organics are not adequate materials for construction projects. These marginal soils do not possess valuable physical properties for construction applications. The current methods for remediation of these weak soils such as stone columns, vibro-compaction, etc. are typically expensive. Waste materials such as scrap tires, ash, and wastewater sludge, offer a cheaper method for stabilizing marginal soils. As an added benefit, utilizing waste materials in soil stabilization applications keeps these materials from being dumped into landfills, thereby saving already depleting landfill space. Included in this report is an extensive investigation into the current …

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 …

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, …

Traumatic Loss And Transformative Life Experiences: The Lived Experience Of Green Cross Traumatologists Deployed To The New York City World Trade Center Disaster, Carron C. Cherrie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study examines the lived experience of Green Cross traumatologists deployed to the New York City World Trade Center disaster. The deployment took place five days after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The author was a member of a ten member advance team that provided crisis stabilization services to an international union in Lower Manhattan. Disaster Mental Health Services and community outreach were provided for a month. The purpose of the study was to describe in an anthropologically holistic perspective the lived experience of traumatologists, who as Americans were also affected by the terrorist disaster. Thirty-one traumatologists …

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 …

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. …

A Descriptive Analysis Of The Relationship Between Specific Teacher Characteristics And Teacher Efficacy In Florida’S Low-Performing Public High Schools, Pamela S. Craig

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to collect data to determine the specific characteristics (gender, level and area of degree status, certification status, pedagogical training, gender, number of years of teaching experience, number of years teaching at the current school, and courses currently taught) of language arts teachers at Florida's low-performing pubic high schools and compare these characteristics to teachers' sense of efficacy (the extent to which teachers' believe they have the ability to bring about changes in student achievement independent of the student's background, behaviors, or motivation level). A total of 615 teachers representing 84 schools in 36 districts participated in …

The Identification Of Functional, Sequestered, Symbiotic Chloroplasts In Elysia Clarki: A Crucial Step In The Study Of Horizontally Transferred, Nuclear Algal Genes, Nicholas E. Curtis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A comparison of Elysia (=Tridachia) crispata (Mörch, 1863) from the Virgin Islands with elysiid slugs from the mangrove swamps and canals in the Florida Keys that have previously been identified as E. crispata reveals many differences in habitat, gross and microscopic anatomy, food preferences of juveniles, sources of symbiotic chloroplasts and their localization within the digestive tubules, radular morphology, and nucleic acid sequences of two genes. The differences between the two groups of slugs are such that the Florida Keys animals are considered to represent a new species, Elysia clarki. Elysia clarki feeds on siphonaceous algae, and intracellularly sequesters the …

Parent Involvement: Differences Between African Americans And European Americans In One Florida School District, Michelle Darter-Lagos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to (a) analyze perceptions of parent involvement across raters (i.e., seventh grade students versus their parents) and across ethnicity (i.e., African American versus European American), and (b) examine how perceptions of parent involvement are related to academic achievement. A subsample of archival survey data collected in one central Florida school district was analyzed for the current study. Findings revealed a positive but weak relationship between students' and parents' perceptions of parent involvement regardless of ethnicity. Significant differences were found in the perceived levels of involvement by ethnicity, even when controlling for SES. In …

Charaterization Of Asbestos Exposure Among Automotive Mechanics Servicing And Handling Asbestos-Containing Materials, Gary Scott Dotson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The historic use of asbestos-containing materials during the manufacturing of automobiles has resulted in a perception of an increased risk of asbestos-related pulmonary diseases within mechanics. This study was conducted to assess the potential asbestos exposures mechanics encounter while servicing vehicles assembled with parts containing asbestos, in addition to compare the cumulative lifetime asbestos exposures for different maintenance activities against theorical threshold exposures for asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. Exposure data were assembled from four independent exposure assessments performed to elucidate the airborne asbestos levels generated during the removal and replacement of brakes, gaskets, clutches and seam sealants containing asbestos. …

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 …

Vibration Level Characterization From A Needle Gun Used On U.S. Naval Vessels, Scott E. Dunn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

United States (U.S.) Navy sailors are exposed to a very large number of hazards, both chemical and physical. Occupational vibration from pneumatic air tools is one of the potential exposure hazards. There are very limited data as to the exposures to one type of tool, a needle gun or needle scaler, used by the sailors.The purpose of this study was to characterize the vibration levels generated by a needle gun used in the U.S. Navy. The design of the study evaluated the difference pressure had on the acceleration levels generated from the needle scaler. Five subjects were used in the …

Improving Long-Term Resettlement Services For Refugees, Asylees, And Asylum-Seekers: Perspectives From Service Providers, Kristina M. Dunman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, rights of asylum and refuge are extended to people who can prove that they have been politically persecuted. Resettlement services for refugees and asylees often focus on the short-term acquisition of employment and English language skills. These policies ignore the long-term complexities involved in reestablishing individual and group identities after war trauma and resettlement. This research is an investigation into the perspectives of service providers who work with refugees, asylees, and asylum-seekers on the need for more comprehensive, long-term services to assist in the months and years following resettlement, and on potential programs to address those …

Monitoring And Modeling Water Quality At The C.W. Young Regional Reservoir, Daniel Robert Dye

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work explores the relationship between nutrient loading and changes in water quality in a sub-tropical, above-ground, off-stream municipal water supply reservoir, the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir. The three source waters for the reservoir have varied but high levels of nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen. In other reservoirs, these nutrients have been linked to deterioration of water quality and increased expense in water treatment. The need to minimize excess nutrients results led to the primary research question: what allocation of withdrawals from the three sources will minimize the deterioration of water quality? To answer this question, the relationship …

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, …

Teachers’ Literacy Beliefs And Their Students’ Conceptions About Reading And Writing, Mildred Falcã³N-Huertas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This investigation examined first-grade teachers' literacy beliefs and practices and its relationship with their students' conceptions about reading and writing. For the first part of the study a sample of 76 first-grade teachers, from two school districts in Puerto Rico, completed the Literacy Orientation Survey (LOS). The combined score of the LOS was calculated and used to categorize teachers according to their literacy beliefs and practices as constructivist, eclectic, or traditional. After matching by years of experience and educational level, a stratified random sample of six teachers, two from each literacy viewpoint (traditional, eclectic, and constructivist), and 48 first-grade students …

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 …

Powerful Submission: Popular Texts And The Subjectivity Of Christian Right Women, Ellen L. Flournoy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Christian Right exerts considerable influence over female identity, especially through its members who have emerged as one of the most powerful voting blocks in the nation---the Christian Right woman. American Christian women, especially those considered to be on the political fringes, are virtually ignored in academic endeavors. Given their power, which defies their categorization as a "fringe" group, this academic silence is a gross oversight, especially in light of the rise of the Christian Right, which has successfully recruited millions of women to its service. This dissertation analyzes texts of Christian popular culture that contribute to the construction of …

Assessing The Role Of Filler Atoms In Skutterudites And Synthesis And Characterization Of New Filled Skutterudites, Grant E. Fowler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For the past decade interest in skutterudites has been significant as a potentially viable material for thermoelectrics. One way to improve the effectiveness of these materials is to lower their thermal conductivity. Lattice thermal conductivity of a series of La- and Yb-filled skutterudite antimonides (with varying filling fraction) has been modeled with different phonon scattering parameters using the debye approximation. It was found that filler atoms both increase point defect scattering and resonance scattering. Subsequently, the thermal conductivity of partially-filled skutterudites AxCo4Sb12, where A = La, Eu and Yb, is analyzed using the Debye model in order to correlate the …

Analysis Of Conjugate Heat Transfer In Tube-In-Block Heat Exchangers For Some Engineering Applications, Abdullatif Abdulhadi Gari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project studied the effect of different parameters on the conjugate heat transfer in tube-in-block heat exchangers for various engineering applications. These included magnetic coolers (or heaters) associated with a magnetic refrigeration system, high heat flux coolers for electronic equipment, and hydronic snow melting system embedded in concrete slabs. The results of this research will help in designing the cooling/heating systems and select their appropriate geometrical dimensions and material for specific applications. Types of problems studied in this project are: steady state circular microchannels with heat source in the gadolinium substrate, transient heat transfer in circular microchannels with time varying …

An Attributional Analysis Of Counterproductive Work Behavior (Cwb) In Response To Occupational Stress, Angeline Goh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of hostile attribution style (HAS) on the processes linking job stressors and CWB. Self and peer data were collected via online questionnaires from employed participants recruited from undergraduate classes and non-student employees. Using data from 147 dyads of employees and coworkers, the effects of HAS on three areas were examined: the influence of HAS on the appraisal of psychosocial (incivility, interactional justice, and interpersonal conflict) and nonsocial (organizational constraints and workload) stressors; HAS as a moderator of the link between stressors and CWB; and HAS as mediator of the link …

Alcohol Expectancy Cognitions: Psychophysiological Perspective, Inna Fishman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Considerable evidence indicates that the expectations individuals hold about the effects of alcohol determine, to a degree, the amount of alcohol they drink. However, the bulk of this evidence was acquired using verbally-based measures of expectancy. The present study sought to extend the validation network by utilizing an electrophysiological measure -- the P300 component of the Event Related Potentials (ERPs) --

which is thought to index fundamental neurophysiological processes sensitive to expectancy.Previous research has demonstrated that, when presented with various outcomes of alcohol consumption, heavier drinkers endorse statements that assert positive and arousing effects of alcohol, while lighter drinkers endorse …