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Problems In Classical Potential Theory With Applications To Mathematical Physics, Erik Lundberg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we are interested in some problems regarding harmonic functions. The topics are divided into three chapters.

Chapter 2 concerns singularities developed by solutions of the Cauchy problem for a holomorphic elliptic equation, especially Laplace's equation. The principal motivation is to locate the singularities of the Schwarz potential. The results have direct applications to Laplacian growth (or the Hele-Shaw problem).

Chapter 3 concerns the Dirichlet problem when the boundary is an algebraic set and the data is a polynomial or a real-analytic function. We pursue some questions related to the Khavinson-Shapiro conjecture. A main topic of interest is …

Technology Use As Transformative Pedagogy: Using Video Editing Technology To Learn About Teaching, Michelle Macy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Within the paradigm of Sociocultural Theory, and using Activity Theory as a data-gathering and management tool, this microgenetic case study examined the processes - the growth, change, and development – engaged in by student-teachers in a foreign language education program as they worked together to complete an activity. The activity involved digital video recording and editing, mediators which were intended to facilitate the iterative review of and subsequent reflection and action upon the content of the video during its creation.

By investigating the process of contextual interaction between learners and the mediational elements of their environment as the activity progressed, …

Underwater Hearing In The Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta Caretta): A Comparison Of Behavioral And Auditory Evoked Potential Audiograms, Kelly Martin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Methods for collecting behavioral audiograms are often time consuming and require trained, captive subjects. It is more practical to measure hearing sensitivity using electrophysiological methods, such as auditory evoked potential (AEP) testing, in which electrodes measure action potentials in response to acoustic stimuli. These data can be collected in a matter of hours. However, results should be verified through behavioral testing. Current knowledge of marine turtle auditory abilities is based on a few electrophysiological tests. The purpose of this study was to collect and compare behavioral and auditory evoked potential audiograms in a captive adult loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta …

The Relationship Between Systems-Change Coaching And Levels Of Implementation And Fidelity Of Problem-Solving/Response To Intervention (Ps/Rti), Amanda March

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the extent to which coaching facilitates the successful implementation of the Problem-Solving/Response to Intervention (PS/RtI) model in schools, as well as the extent to which coaching enhances the fidelity of implementation of PS/RtI practices in those schools. Data from 34 schools in seven districts participating in three years of a statewide initiative to implement PS/RtI practices with assistance of a PS/RtI coach were used to evaluate the relationship between coaching activities and levels of implementation and integrity outcomes. Data on various coaching-related factors (i.e., perceived coaching quality, coach continuity, frequency and duration of training and technical assistance), …

The Persistence Of Casuistry: A Neo-Premodernist Approach To Moral Reasoning, Richard Arthur Mercadante

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The general purpose of this dissertation is to explore casuistry--case-based reasoning--as a discredited, rehabilitated, and, most importantly, persistent form of moral reasoning. Casuistry offers a much needed corrective to principle-based approaches. I offer a defense of a "principle-modest" casuistry and explore the epistemology of casuistry, describing the prerequisite knowledge required for casuistry. I conclude by arguing that casuistry is best understood as a neo-premodernist approach to moral reasoning.

Urbanization And Land Surface Temperature In Pinellas County, Florida, Bruce Coffyn Mitchell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since the early 1800's, many studies have recognized increased heat in urban areas, known as the urban heat island (UHI) effect, as one of the results of human modification to the natural landscape. UHI is related to differences in land surface temperature (LST) between rural areas and urban areas where factors of the built environment such as the thermodynamic capacities of materials, structural geometry, and heat generating activities cause increased storage and re-radiation of heat to the atmosphere. This thesis examines the correlation between factors of urbanization and differences in land surface temperature (LST) in the subtropical climate of Pinellas …

Parametric And Bayesian Modeling Of Reliability And Survival Analysis, Carlos A. Molinares

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study is to compare Bayesian and parametric approaches to determine the best for estimating reliability in complex systems. Determining reliability is particularly important in business and medical contexts. As expected, the Bayesian method showed the best results in assessing the reliability of systems.

In the first study, the Bayesian reliability function under the Higgins-Tsokos loss function using Jeffreys as its prior performs similarly as when the Bayesian reliability function is based on the squared-error loss. In addition, the Higgins-Tsokos loss function was found to be as robust as the squared-error loss function and slightly more efficient. …

Environmental Health In The Latin American And Caribbean Region: Use Of Water Storage Containers, Water Quality, And Community Perception, Erlande Omisca

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water quality and availability are important issues in many developing countries where portions of populations still lack access to potable water. Throughout the English-speaking Caribbean and parts of Latin America, households and businesses invest in water supply systems even when they are connected to and pay for water services from a private or state owned provider. Inconsistent supplies of water from the water companies have led many people to invest in storage tanks which, if operated correctly, can provide water throughout the day even when the supply from the main is low or zero. While these individual systems help to …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Irrigation Restrictions Within Key Communities In Tampa, Florida, Lin Allen Ozan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The City of Tampa, Florida has instituted water restrictions over the past decade that have been primarily aimed at mitigating non-essential usage of water resources by limiting domestic lawn irrigation. The mandatory restrictions are enforced by the issuance of citations to violators, which is intended to promote compliance and deter from subsequent violations. This thesis provides a thorough investigation of historical water restriction with relation to compliance in order to determine which factors might be related to high rates of water usage within key Tampa communities. The objectives are to: (1) develop a GIS data set that can be used …

Use Of Innovative Computer Technology And Optical Texture Properties In The Analysis Of Pavement Digital Images, Saumya Priyadari Amarasiri

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Digital image based automated pavement crack detection and classification technology has seen vast improvements in the recent years. In spite of these developments, although pavement crack lengths and widths can be evaluated using state-of-the-art software with a reasonable accuracy, no reported evidence is found in extending this technology to evaluate crack depths. Hence a preliminary study was carried out to model the digital image formation of cracked concrete pavements based on the Bidirectional Reflection Distribution Function. It was revealed that a definitive theoretical relationship exists among the crack widths and depths and the maximum pixel intensity contrasts in the images …

Sol-Gel Resorcinarene Sorbent For Capillary Microextraction Coupled To Gas Chromatography, Abdullah Awadh Alhendal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For the first time, octahydroxyl methylresorcinarene with four hexyl groups on the lower rim was utilized in the in-situ preparation of a silica-based sol-gel organicinorganic hybrid coating for sample preconcentration by capillary microextraction (CME). Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) was chosen as a sol-gel precursor to create a crosslinked sol-gel network via acid-catalyzed hydrolytic polycondensation reactions. Sol-gel chemistry helped in the in situ preparation of resorcinarene-containing extraction phase in the form of a surface coating. It also provided an effective means to chemically bind the coating to the inner surface of fused silica capillary via condensation of the hydroxyl groups in the sol-gel …

Perceptions By Heartland Educational Consortium (H.E.C.) Elementary Title I School Principals And Assistant Principals: Data Use In Their Role As Achievement-Related Decision Makers, Sherri Albritton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the age of accountability and assessment, there is a need to ensure that data provided regarding student achievement can be effectively and appropriately utilized by school site administrators in a systematic way to improve student achievement.

This study identified Heartland Educational Consortium Title I principals’ and assistant principals’ perceptions of their use of data as decision-makers in raising student achievement, with primary emphasis on Florida’s Differentiated Accountability Model.

Quantitative results revealed statistically significant differences in data use by administrators. Use of data by administrators for professional development was statistically significantly different from school improvement, leadership, or data skills. Data …

Modeling Of Solar-Powered Single-Effect Absorption Cooling System And Supermarket Refrigeration/Hvac System, Ammar Bahman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis consists of two different research problems. In the first one, the aim is to model and simulate a solar-powered, single-effect, absorption refrigeration system using a flat-plate solar collector and LiBr-H₂O mixture as the working fluid. The cooling capacity and the coefficient of performance of the system are analyzed by varying all independent parameters, namely: evaporator pressure, condenser pressure, mass flow rate, LiBr concentration, and inlet generator temperature. The cooling performance of the system is compared with conventional vapor-compression systems for different refrigerants (R-134a, R-32, and R-22). The cooling performance is also assessed for a typical year …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Self-Healing Poly (Carbonate Urethane) Carbon-Nanotube Composites, Roger Wesley Bass

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Synthesis of high molar mass polycarbonate polyurethanes using a novel polyol is described. The resulting elastomers demonstrate excellent mechanical properties as well as the capability to re-heal after rupture without the addition of additives or imbedded healing agents. The self-healing functionality is shown to greatly improve with the addition of up to 1% single and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The interface of the carbon nanotubes and self-healing polymer are probed using Raman techniques and provide an insight into how the self-healing actions are improved with the addition of carbon nanotubes.

Synthesis of polycarbonate polyurethanes and carbon nanotube composites using a novel …

Stable Isotope Studies Of Paleoenvironment And Paleoclimate From Afar, Ethiopia, Zelalem K. Bedaso

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The sedimentary deposits of the Hadar Formation at Dikika and the Mount Galili Formation at Galili preserve a wealth of paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic records spanning the last 5.29 Ma. Stable carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions of herbivore tooth enamel were analyzed for more than 600 specimens of 15 different taxa from 10 stratigraphic intervals. The application of carbon and oxygen isotopes here aims principally at reconstructing shifts in the relative abundance of C₄ grasses, and its implications for climate indicators including temperature, aridity, and seasonality. The full range of δ¹³C_enamel values throughout the Plio-Pleistocene signifies a …

_Alien_ Thoughts: Spectatorial Pleasure And Mind Reading In Ridley Scott's Horror Film, Cecilia Madeline Bolich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pleasure experienced in an unpleasant film genre, like horror, has prompted numerous discussions in film studies. Noted scholars like Carol J. Clover and Noël Carroll have rationalized spectatorial enjoyment of a genre that capitalizes on human anxieties and complicates cultural categories. Clover admits that horror initially satisfies sadistic tendencies in young male viewers but then pushes them to cross gender lines and identify with the strong female heroine who defeats the film's threat. Carroll provides a basic explanation, citing spectators' cognitive curiosity as the source of pleasure. Both scholars are right to consider emotional, psychological, and cognitive experiences felt by …

Initial Ablation Of The Laurentide Ice Sheet Based On Gulf Of Mexico Sediments, Elizabeth A. Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this project is to reconstruct a picture of initial Laurentide Ice Sheet retreat at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) using geochemical proxies in Gulf of Mexico sediments, and place the reconstruction into global perspective. The project asks two questions. (1) Can a time frame be established for initial retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet? (2) If so, how does the timing compare to that of other large ice sheets and mountain glaciers in both hemispheres?

Sediment core MD02-2550 from the anoxic Orca Basin offers excellent preservation and a high sediment accumulation rate. Twelve accelerator …

Principals' Content Knowledge: Examining The Relationship Between Principals' Reading Knowledge And Leadership Actions From Principals' And Teachers' Perceptions, Angela Suzanne Butler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Principals' leadership content knowledge in reading was investigated by examining the relationship between the perceived reading knowledge of principals and perceived leadership actions principals take to support reading instruction. Survey results from 78 principals and 1,876 teachers were analyzed. Results showed a positive, statistically significant correlation between principals' perceptions of their reading knowledge and principals' perceptions of the actions they take to support reading. A stronger positive, significant correlation between teachers' perceptions of their principal's reading knowledge and teachers' perceptions of their principal's actions was also demonstrated. These correlations substantiated studies that purported principals with more reading knowledge are more …

A Modeling Analysis Of Dissolved Carbon Dioxide Discharged From Howard F. Curren Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, Dustin Capps

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Currently, the US Environmental Protection Agency primarily regulates the discharge of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorous from wastewater treatment plants in the United States. A recent study has shown that the treated effluent of many plants contains concentrations of dissolved carbon dioxide well above the expected theoretical equilibrium concentration of 0.6 mg/L, indicating that carbon dioxide may have been overlooked as a possible pollutant in receiving waters. For this reason, it is necessary to examine the possible presence of a discharge plume containing high levels of dissolved CO2 downstream from the outfall of a major wastewater treatment plant in Tampa, Florida. …

Novel Magnetic Materials For Sensing And Cooling Applications, Anurag Chaturvedi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The overall goals of the present PhD research are to explore the giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) and giant magnetocaloric (GMC) effects in functional magnetic materials and provide guidance on the optimization of the material properties for use in advanced magnetic sensor and refrigeration applications.

GMI has attracted growing interest due to its promising applications in high-performance magnetic sensors. Research in this field is focused on the development of new materials with properties appropriate for practical GMI sensor applications. In this project, we have successfully set up a new magneto-impedance measurement system in the Functional Materials Laboratory at USF. We have established, …

Geochemical Systematics Among Amphibolitic Rocks In The Central Blue Ridge Province Of Southwestern North Carolina, Nathan Collins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Central Blue Ridge sub-province of the southern Appalachian Mountains preserves an unique and complex geologic history. The Cartoogechaye terrane is the westernmost terrane of the Central Blue Ridge sub-province, and is characterized by extensive olistostromal sequences, including mafic-ultramafic massifs, isolated mafic units, and block-in-matrix structures of varying scales. This study investigates the genetic and tectonic relationships, and regional chemical and metamorphic trends of the amphibolitic rocks entrained within units of the Cartoogechaye and nearby terranes, toward constraining the origins of these regional sequences, and examining the rationale for the current Blue Ridge terrane designations.

A distinct compositional variation exists …

Microbial Landscapes Of Corals And Ctenophores, Camille Arian Daniels

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As technology and engineering allow mankind to survey nature at finer scales, the importance of bacteria has been elucidated in their metabolic diversity, ability to transfer genetic information, involvement in biogeochemical cycling, and sheer abundance. With an individual domain of life unto themselves, this diverse group of microorganisms plays an integral role in facilitating life on land and in the oceans, and is second only to viruses in abundance on Earth. They carve niches in a wide range of environments, including those inhospitable to other life forms, and reside in concert or to the detriment of other microbes and/or hosts …

Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (Anmbr) For Treatment Of Landfill Leachate And Removal Of Micropollutants, Anh Tien Do

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To date, most studies on the fate and removal of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in wastewater focus on their fate in municipal wastewater treatment plants, and mostly under aerobic condition. There are limited studies related to anaerobic condition and (to our knowledge) no study on the removal of EDCs in landfill leachate by AnMBR. Moreover, for most studies under anaerobic condition, the removal of EDCs was only reported in the liquid phase; solid phase extraction was not reported, thereby preventing mass balance in the studies.

This research was conducted to investigate the potential …

Apparent Total Evaporative Resistance Values From Human Trials Over A Range Of Metabolic And Heat Stress Levels, Matthew David Dooris

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Failure to maintain thermal equilibrium can cause uncontrollable increases in body core temperature beyond critical upper limits. In selecting clothing, consideration must be given to the heat transfer properties of clothing that may restrict the cooling capacity of the human body under heat stress conditions, most importantly, apparent total evaporative resistance (R_e,T,_a). This study calculated and compared R_e,T,_a for five clothing ensembles under varying heat stress conditions, including three relative humidity (RH) levels and three stages of heat stress to determine if R_e,T,_a values varied or remained the same with …

Real Options Methodology In Sportswear Retail Investment Valuation, Hairong Karen Gui

Dissertations and Theses

The net present value (NPV) approach has been widely accepted by corporate practitioners and academics as the principle tool for evaluating the feasibility of corporate financial investment opportunities. It conceptually provides an estimate in present value terms of a proposed investment's incremental contribution to the firm, enabling the company to pursue its goal of value maximization with more assurance. NPV uses a discount rate that in theory captures market risks. In the stable growth or mature industries, NPV works well. However, in high investment/high risk-return (HI/HRR) industries, where the investment environment is often profiled as highly uncertain with high returns, …

The Intersection Of Intellectual Property And Race In The Twenty-First Century: An Examination Of The Interpretation Of Racial Categories In Patent Law, Tiffany Cruz Gonzalez

UC Law Journal of Race and Economic Justice

The political and jurisprudential treatment of racespecific patents, patents on inventions that are aimed at certain racially or ethnically defined groups, in the United States has the potential to legitimize the reification of race and severely impact society's understanding of racial disparities. Accordingly, with the increase in race-specific patents, and race-based technology in general, the way that the courts will construe racial categories in claim terms will determine the pattern and practice of future race relations in the United States. This note examines the role of a judge and an inventor in the potential litigation of a racespecific patent both …

Mapping Galileo's Trajectory, Mark Woods

Aerospace Engineering

The NASA Galileo mission was mapped out using a patched conics approximation.  Galileo launched from Earth, underwent a gravity assist from Venus back to Earth for another gravity assist.  Galileo then came back to Earth for one more gravity assist to propel it to Jupiter.  A simulation ignoring all perturbations (i.e. third body effects, zonal (harmonics, solar wind, drag) was carried out.  The simulation was able to make it to the final Earth flyby before diverging from the actual trajectory.  The simulated and actual flyby dates all differed by less than 5 hours, and the simulated and actual flyby altitudes …

Vol. 41, No. 1: Full Issue, Denver Journal Of International Law & Policy

Denver Journal of International Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Northeastern Illinois University, 2011-2012 Academic Catalog, "Be Connected, Be Informed, Be Yourself", Northeastern Illinois University

Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Thermal And Mechanical Properties Of Polypropylene-Based Composites For Fuel Cell Bipolar Plates And Development Of Educational Tools In Hydrogen And Fuel Cell Technologies, Daniel López Gaxiola

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

In this project we developed conductive thermoplastic resins by adding varying amounts of three different carbon fillers: carbon black (CB), synthetic graphite (SG) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) to a polypropylene matrix for application as fuel cell bipolar plates. This component of fuel cells provides mechanical support to the stack, circulates the gases that participate in the electrochemical reaction within the fuel cell and allows for removal of the excess heat from the system.

The materials fabricated in this work were tested to determine their mechanical and thermal properties. These materials were produced by adding varying amounts of single carbon …