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Evaluation Of The Long-Term Effect Of Inorganic Leachate On Geosynthetic Clay Liners, Darwish El-Hajji

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Because of its low permeability and high swelling characteristics, bentonite is used in various hydraulic barrier systems and in the manufacturing of Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GCLs). Exposure to inorganic solutions containing elevated concentrations of electrolyte can significantly increase their permeability. To enhance the bentonite's chemical resistance to inorganic solutions, the manufacturers of GCL materials introduced propriety soluble polymeric compounds as an additive to bentonite. The resulting materials are referred to as polymer-treated, chemically-enhanced, or contaminant-resistant clays, and are arguably resistant to a host of inorganic chemicals. In this study, the response of both regular and polymer treated bentonite clays to …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between The Presence Of Critical Components Of Classroom Positive Behavior Support And Student Behavior, Gregory S. Ern

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between the presence of classroom components of positive behavior support and student behavior outcomes. Data were collected using the Tool for Assessing Classroom Level-Positive Behavior Support (TACL-PBS) developed by Ern (2004) to assess the presence or absence of critical components of positive behavior support at the classroom level. Descriptive data on the instrument including the internal consistency, interrater agreement, and concurrent validity were analyzed and are included in this report. Forty classrooms from ten diverse elementary schools in three school districts were selected to participate in this study. Office discipline …

Storm-Influenced Sediment Transport Gradients On A Nourished Beach, Nicole A. Elko

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Beach nourishment provides an excellent opportunity for the study of intensified sediment transport gradients and associated morphological changes in a natural setting. The objectives of this study are to quantify and predict longshore and cross-shore transport gradients induced by 1) beach nourishment, 2) different storm wave conditions, and 3) the annual wave climate and long-term sediment supply. The details of sediment transport rates and gradients induced by gradual processes and high-energy events are analyzed on a macro-scale. Well-planned monitoring of the 2004 Upham Beach nourishment project in west-central Florida collected high-spatial and -temporal resolution field data. Three hurricanes passed by …

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 …

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 …

An Examination Of The Experiences Of Five African American Male Students With Regard To School Discipline Practices, Simon Yohann Earle

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There are numerous studies that address the issue of discipline practices in schools. Within the last decade there have been an increasing number of scholars and school district personnel who have written about discipline, and more specifically, the discipline of specific populations of students such as African Americans. Although many of these studies address the disparate disciplinary practices that occur in many school districts, little attention is devoted to how students understand these practices in the larger context of their general school experiences. This research intends to fill the void in the literature that utilizes the experiences of students to …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Functional Topology And Regulation Of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase And Associated Caveolar Components, Brenda R. Flam

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The discovery of nitric oxide (NO) as the endothelial-derived relaxing factor has led to significant research on NO and the proteins involved in its function, generation, location and regulation. Synthesis of NO by blood vessel endothelial cells results from the enzymatic oxidation of arginine by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) resulting in the formation of equimolar amounts of NO and citrulline. Citrulline is sequentially recycled to arginine by successive reactions involving the enzymes argininosuccinate synthase (AS) and argininosuccinate lyase (AL), respectively.

eNOS activity has been shown to be regulated by post-translational modifications including dynamic phosphorylation on multiple serine/threonine and tyrosine …

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 …

Investigation Into The Hydrogen Gas Sensing Mechanism Of 3c-Sic Resistive Gas Sensors, Timothy J. Fawcett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The hydrogen (H2) gas sensing mechanism driving 3C-SiC resistive gas sensors is investigated in this work in which two hypotheses are proposed. One hypothesis involves the surface adsorption of H2 on the sensor surface with the adsorbed molecules influencing the flow of current in a resistive gas sensor, termed the surface adsorption detection mechanism. The second hypothesis includes the transfer of heat from the sensor to the gas, producing a change in the temperature of the device when the heat transfer characteristics of the gas change, termed the thermal detection mechanism. The heat transfer characteristics of the gas are dependent …

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 …

Asymptotes And Metaphors: Teaching Feminist Theory, Michael Eugene Gipson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As we move through our daily lives, the cogency of the world shifts and changes. Many constructs exist to explain and account for how we view and interact with our environment. Education is where our understandings become formalized and are challenged. To this end, a plethora of pedagogical tools are made available to aid educators in illuminating the world(s) around and within each student. However, there is always room for new ways of presenting information, concepts, and ideas. I put forth the mathematical trope of asymptotes as a new pedagogical tool. Asymptotes, as metaphor, work as a pedagogical tool for …

Comparison Of The Effects Of Training In Expository Text Structure Through Annotation Textmarking And Training In Vocabulary Development On Reading Comprehension Of Students Going Into Fourth Grade, Lily Janise Gentry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fifty-seven pre-fourth-graders from 14 private schools participated to determine (a) if teaching text structure with annotation produced higher comprehension scores than the method of teaching vocabulary, and (b) if the effect of instructional method on reading comprehension was the same for male and female students. Effects were measured by immediate posttest and follow-up test NCE scores of the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test, Fourth Edition (SDRT4) containing components of Comprehension and Vocabulary. The design was a true experiment using a matched comparison-group format. Participants were placed in one of two independent 3-week reading workshop sessions, then randomly assigned to one of …

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 …

Fuzzy Logic In Process Control: A New Fuzzy Logic Controller And An Improved Fuzzy-Internal Model Controller, Yohn E. Garcã­A Z.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Two fuzzy controllers are presented. A fuzzy controller with intermediate variable designed for cascade control purposes is presented as the FCIV controller. An intermediate variable and a new set of fuzzy logic rules are added to a conventional Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) to build the Fuzzy Controller with Intermediate Variable (FCIV). The new controller was tested in the control of a nonlinear chemical process, and its performance was compared to several other controllers. The FCIV shows the best control performance regarding stability and robustness. The new controller also has an acceptable performance when noise is added to the sensor signal. …

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 …

A Finite Family Of Q-Orthogonal Polynomials And Resultants Of Chebyshev Polynomials, Jemal Emina Gishe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Two problems related to orthogonal polynomials and special functions are considered. For q greater than 1 it is known that continuous q-Jacobi polynomials are orthogonal on the imaginary axis. The first problem is to find proper normalization to form a system of polynomials that are orthogonal on the real line. By introducing a degree reducing operator and a scalar product one can show that the normalized continuous q-Jacobi polynomials satisfies an eigenvalue equation. This implies orthogonality of the normalized continuous q-Jacobi polynomials. As a byproduct, different results related to the normalized system of polynomials, such as its closed form,three-term recurrence …

Low-Power Flip-Flop Using Internal Clock Gating And Adaptive Body Bias, Jorge Alberto Galvis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a new systematic approach to flip-flop design using Internal Clock Gating, (ICG), and Adaptive Body-Bias, (ABB), in order to reduce power consumption. The process requires careful transistor resizing in order to maintain signal integrity and the functionality of the flip-flop at the target frequency.A novel flip-flop architecture, based on the Transmission Gate Flip-Flop, (TGFF), which incorporated ICG and ABB techniques, was designed. This architecture was simulated intensively in order to determine under what conditions its use is appropriate. In addition, it was necessary to establish a methodology for creating a standard testbench and environment setup for the …

An Investigation Of The Effects Of Perceived Feedback Accuracy On Performance, Ashley A. Gray

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study built upon the theoretical feedback process of Ilgen, Fisher and Taylor (1979), as refined by Kinicki, Prussia, Wu, & Mckee-Ryan (2004), to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanism underlying an individual's response to performance feedback. The feedback model implicates source credibility and the feedback-rich environment as critical elements in the process explaining recipient accuracy perceptions and responses. Thus the sign and perceived accuracy of performance feedback were investigated in a 3 x 3 (plus control) experimental design. One hundred fifty-six undergraduate students were randomly assigned to feedback conditions, in which they performed on a three-trial …

Calling All Learners: An Explanatory Integrative Research Study Of Efl Learner-Learner Corrective Feedback Patterns Within On-Line Synchronous Environments, Annmarie Gorenc Zoran

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods research study centers on learner-learner interactions; thus, contributing to the on-going investigation within negotiation and interaction, computer-mediated-communication and its role in second language learning. The specific aim was to investigate corrective feedback types, incidences, and the relationship between error and feedback type among peers within online synchronous environments in EFL classes in Slovenia, Europe. Interactional characteristics of corrective feedback with learners having a documented special need (SN) also were explored using qualitative analyses. The study encompassed 208 students that were randomly placed into 104 dyads within intact classes of Grades 7, 8, 10, and 11. There were …

Effectiveness Of Environmental Regulations: Monitoring By The Regulated Community Under Clean Water Act Industrial Stormwater Runoff Requirements, Kelly L. Gleaton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research identified and evaluated possible uses of environmental monitoring data collected and reported by industrial facilities under the Clean Water Act requirements and determined whether the current regulatory system supported any of those uses. Federal policies and state-level policies in the United States, Florida, and California were evaluated in order to determine whether the current regulatory system supported any of the identified uses. Monitoring programs and currently available monitoring data were evaluated from Hillsborough County, Florida, and Los Angeles County, California, from the perspective of 1) the current implementation of the monitoring program, and 2) perfect implementation under full …

An Instrumental Case Study Of The Phenomenon Of Collaboration In The Process Of Improving Community College Developmental Reading And Writing Instruction, Patricia C. Gordin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Focusing upon the intersections between community college faculty and assessment professionals (e.g., institutional researchers) in improving student learning outcomes, the purpose of this study was to describe, analyze, and interpret the experiences of these professionals as they planned for and conducted student learning outcomes assessment in developmental reading, writing, and study skills courses. This instrumental case study at one particular community college in Florida investigated the roles played by these individuals within the larger college effort to develop a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), an essential component of a regional accreditation review. The methodology included individual interviews, a focus group interview, …

Development Of A Microsphere-Based Immunoassay For The Detection Of Igm Antibodies To West Nile Virus And St. Louis Encephalitis Virus In Sentinel Chicken Sera, Logan C. Haller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

West Nile virus (WNV) and St. Louis Encephalitis (SLEV) are arthropod-borne viruses belonging to the genus Flavivirus and are classified as significant human pathogens of global epidemiological importance. Since its introduction into the United States in 1999, WNV has spread throughout most of the country and has caused major epidemics of neuroinvasive disease (Hayes and Gubler, 2005). SLEV is endemic to the United States and is maintained in an enzootic transmission cycle in Florida.The Florida Sentinel Chicken Arboviral Surveillance Network was established in 1978 following a widespread rural epidemic of SLEV in central Florida to monitor the activity of arboviruses …

A Study Of The Effects Of Completing An Instructor Effectivness Course On The Accountability Measures Of Adjunct Community College Faculty, Ivan Franklin Harber

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of an Instructor Effectiveness Course designed specifically to retain adjunct faculty and improve their overall success in teaching. The study also investigated the "online" and "face-to-face" groups of the Instructor Effectiveness Course and compared faculty who take this course to those who do not in order to detect any significant differences. Differences were measured through students' class grade point averages, (GPA's), and course completion rates for the three groups of faculty, as well as through the faculty performance on student evaluations. This mixed method, causal/comparative study looked at the adjunct …

Effect Of Alkalis And Sulfate On Portland Cement Systems, Mahmoud Halaweh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The effect of the sulfates and alkalis on the durability of Portland cement systems was investigated through a series of cube and prism mixes. Durability was assessed using expansion of mortar prisms and the compressive strength of mortar cubes. The study covered a large range of both alkali and sulfate contents using 5 different Portland cements. The alkali contents ranged from 0.27 to 3.8%, the sulfate content (as SO3) ranged from 2.54 to 5%. Doping was done using Terra Alba gypsum and potassium hydroxide. In addition to physical measurements, SEM, XRD, chemical analysis and heat of hydration calorimetry were used …

Towards Practical Design Of Impulse Radio Ultrawideband Systems: Parameter Estimation And Adaptation, Interference Mitigation, And Performance Analysi, Ismail Guvenc

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ultrawideband (UWB) is one of the promising technologies for future short-range high data rate communications (e.g. for wireless personal area networks) and longer range low data rate communications (e.g. wireless sensor networks).Despite its various advantages and potentials (e.g. low-cost circuitry, unlicensed reuse of licensed spectrum, precision ranging capability etc.), UWB also has its own challenges. The goal of this dissertation is to identify and address some of those challenges, and provide a framework for practical UWB transceiver design.In this dissertation, various modulation options for UWB systems are reviewed in terms of their bit error rate (BER) performances, spectral characteristics, modem …

Using Emergent Outcome Controls To Manage Dynamic Software Development, Michael Loyd Harris

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Control and flexibility may appear an unlikely pair. However, I propose that effective management of dynamic environments, such as systems development under conditions of uncertainty, must still provide clear control mechanisms to manage the progress and quality of the resulting products. This dissertation presents research to understand the types of control used in the context of flexible software development processes. The dynamic capabilities extension to the resource-based view of the firm is used to understand dynamic environments. Within those environments, control theory is used to understand how activities are guided and controlled to achieve management objectives. Specifically, control theory acts …

Modulation Of Neural Plasticity By The Adamtss (A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase With Thrombospondin Motifs), Michelle Grace Hamel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Aggregating proteoglycans (PG) bearing chondroitin sulfate (CS) side chains are well-known inhibitors of neural plasticity and associate with hyaluronan and tenascin-R to form a complex of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the central nervous system (CNS). Little is known about whether proteolytic cleavage of the core protein affects neural plasticity. Several members of the ADAMTS (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs) family of metalloproteinases are glutamyl-endopeptidases that cleave aggregating PGs. Our initial studies determined that neural cultures secrete a brevican-containing matrix, and that these neural cultures also produced ADAMTS4, a protease that cleaves brevican. Furthermore, this brevican-containing matrix in astrocytes …