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Growth And Characterization Of Thermoelectric Ba8Ga16Ge30 Type-I Clathrate Thin-Films Deposited By Pulsed Dual-Laser Ablation, Robert Harry Hyde

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The on-going interest in thermoelectric (TE) materials, in the form of bulk and films, motivates investigation of materials that exhibit low thermal conductivity and good electrical conductivity. Such materials are phonon-glass electron-crystals (PGEC), and the multi-component type-I clathrate Ba₈Ga₁₆Ge₃₀ is in this category. This work reports the first investigation of Ba₈Ga₁₆Ge₃₀ films grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD).

This dissertation details the in-situ growth of polycrystalline type-I clathrate Ba₈Ga₁₆Ge₃₀ thin-films by pulsed laser ablation. Films deposited using conventional laser ablation produced films that contained a …

Case-Control Study Of Sunlight Exposure And Cutaneous Human Papillomavirus Seroreactivity In Basal Cell And Squamous Cell Carcinomas Of The Skin, Michelle R. Iannacone

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), comprised of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), is the most common cancer in Caucasians. Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure is the most important environmental risk factor for both BCC and SCC development. However, the precise relationship between UVR and the risk of NMSC is complex, and the relationship may differ by skin cancer type. It has been hypothesized that intermittent patterns and childhood sunlight exposure are important for BCC while continuous (chronic) and lifelong (i.e. childhood and adulthood) sunlight exposure is important for SCC. Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that cutaneous human papillomavirus (HPV) …

The Conservation And Ecology Of Carnivorous Plants, David Jennings

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As discussed in Chapter 1, although our understanding of the ecology and evolution of carnivorous plants has greatly improved in recent years, many fundamental questions remain unanswered. Unfortunately, at the present time, many carnivorous plants are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities. Indeed, over half of the carnivorous plant species assessed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are listed as `threatened', but the threats to carnivorous plants have not previously been quantified. In Chapter 2, I quantified the conservation threats to carnivorous plant taxa worldwide by searching peer-reviewed literature, and found data on the threats to 48 …

"Take Another Look At 'Em": Passing Performances Of Gender In The Junior-Freshman Weddings Of Florida State College For Women, 1909-1925, Sarah Lynne Jünke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Junior-freshmen weddings were all-female mock weddings that were performed as annual traditions on college campuses throughout the U.S. in the early part of the twentieth-century. In the weddings, college women played both the men's and women's roles, and were joined as husband and wife by their college administration. This thesis focuses on the junior-freshman weddings of Florida State College for Women during the years 1909-1925 and argues that the weddings expressed the conflicted cultural contexts that college women in the Progressive Era confronted, but that, significantly, this expression was done through passing performances of gender. The women's choice of passing …

Oxygen Diffusion Characterization Of Frp Composites Used In Concrete Repair And Rehabilitation, Chandra K. Khoe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many independent studies have conclusively demonstrated that fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) slow down chloride-induced corrosion of steel in concrete. The mechanism for this slow down is not well understood but it has been hypothesized that FRP serves as a barrier to the ingress of chloride, moisture, and oxygen that sustain electrochemical corrosion of steel.

This dissertation presents results from an experimental study that determined the oxygen permeation rates of materials used in infrastructure repair. In the study, the oxygen permeation constants for epoxy, carbon and glass fiber laminates, concrete, epoxy-concrete and FRP-concrete systems were determined and a method developed to …

An Analysis On The Experience Of Mentoring Support In A College Alternative Teacher Certification Program, Debra Voutsinas Kilgore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to explore how college alternative teacher certification (ATC) participants experience mentoring support. The goal was to obtain a rich and deep understanding of the nature of the mentoring experience in a college ATC program through the perspectives of mentees and their mentors. The ATC program was the Educator Preparation Institute (EPI).

Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Eight individuals participated in the study, four were mentors and four were EPI students. A triangulated set of research methods for data collection and analysis was used, including member checks, validation forms, and peer reviews. All the interviews …

Teacher Commitment To The Implementation Of Ninth Grade Academies And Their Perceptions Of School Leadership, Deborah Kindel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the commitment of teachers to the implementation of ninth grade academies and their perceptions of school leadership during the reform process. Concern for successful high school completion prompted the redesign of ninth grade into a school-within-a-school format within a Florida school district. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the type of commitment and form of leadership evident in this reform initiative along with the relationship between them. As a mindset for change, commitment was represented as affective, normative, and continuance. Leadership styles were delineated as transformational, transactional, and passive/avoidant along with related outcomes of …

How To Get From Here To There: Poetic Connections In Tracy Letts's "Man From Nebraska," "August: Osage County," And "Superior Donuts.", Deborah Ann Kochman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, Kochman examines the textual references to poetry in contemporary playwright Tracy Letts's "Man from Nebraska," "August: Osage County," and "Superior Donuts" and explores how specific references function as a "poetic exchange" between the protagonists and the respective agents of change or moral touchstones in each play and how these "poetic exchanges" suggest a diminishment or elevation of the intrinsic value of art -- specifically, poetry -- as a force for personal and cultural renewal. While Letts's writing is hardly "poetic" and his structure closer to "narrative," he focuses on "the repressed" - both emotionally and socially --and …

Assessing The Relationship Of Monocytes With Primary And Secondary Dengue Infection Among Hospitalized Dengue Patients In Malaysia, 2010: A Cross-Sectional Study, Benjamin Glenn Klekamp

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dengue, a group of four similar viruses transmitted through the bite of a mosquito, is estimated to infect upwards of 100 million annually in over 100 nations throughout the global equatorial belt. Distribution of global dengue is highly skewed as Southeast Asian and Western Pacific regions endure 75% of the global dengue burden. Similar to other regional countries, Malaysia has been rapidly urbanizing, which has supported a hyperendemic dengue state.

The biological pathway by which dengue infection causes a wide range of clinical manifestations, spanning asymptomatic to life-threatening severe complications, is not comprehensively understood. Historically, severe dengue complications have primarily …

Talking With Als Patients: An Exploratory Study Of Patient Attitudes Toward Mass Messages About Als, Kamden Kuhn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the attitudes and opinions of ALS patients toward mass messages about their condition. Six focus groups of ALS patient support groups viewed and responded to public relations messages, charity advertisements, and a news story. Results suggest that mass messages remind participants of the need for public ALS awareness. Participants also said they shared in the narratives and identify closely with the characters in the messages they viewed, and participants expressed concern with disease depictions. These concerns included a tension between positive and realistic portrayals, identification of message inaccuracies, and a desire for more specific disease information. The …

Gender Differences In Lung Cancer Treatment And Survival, Margaret Anne Kowski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this research were to test treatment and survival differences between women and men with lung cancer as there is minimal investigation in the literature. Three research questions were developed with statistical testing for gender differences based on similar cancer type, stage, treatment assignment and survival. Data for 44,863 primary lung cancer cases were collected from eight U.S. state-based cancer registries to investigate the research questions. The lung cancer incidence data included the morphological cell-types of adenocarcinoma (AC); squamous cell carcinoma (SCC); large cell carcinoma (LCC) and small cell carcinoma (SCC). Stage, grade, treatment type, as well as, …

The Jewish Trail Of Tears The Evian Conference Of July 1938, Dennis Ross Laffer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to explore the origins, formulation, course and outcome of the Intergovernmental Committee for Political Refugees meeting (better known as the Evian Conference) of July 1938. Special emphasis was placed on contemporary and later historical assessments of this assembly which represented the first international cooperative attempt to solve an acute refugee crisis. A general review followed by a more detailed evaluation was made of existing official and un-official accounts of the meeting utilizing both public records, private diaries, books, newspapers, journals and other periodicals for the period of January 1, 1938 through December 31, 1939. …

Usf's Coverage Of Women's Athletics: A Census Of The Usf Athletics Home Web Page, Laura Ann Lebeau

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the coverage of women’s athletics at USF provided through photographic representations on the university’s Athletics Internet home web page during the 2009–2010 academic year. Findings from this census of five areas that comprise the USF Athletics Internet home web page revealed that, consistent with recent research on coverage of female athletes and women’s athletics on university web pages, women, compared to men, were underrepresented in the majority of the five areas of the home page analyzed. The difference in the number of overall total photographs of women and men was not that large—48% and 52%, respectively, not …

That Is Bad! This Is Good: Morality As Constructed By Viewers Of Television Reality Programs, Joseph Charles Losasso

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Reality shows that feature people going about their presumed daily lives are not base entertainment. Internet message boards about reality programs are sites where moral work happens. Viewers write about the appearance and actions of show characters and construct moral lessons. Through naturally occurring data produced by fans of these shows, I find that viewers generally express a traditional heteronormative morality around class and gender through stating moral lessons, explaining what is wrong with the characters, or through ridicule and praise.

Transition Experiences Of Adolescent Survivors Of Childhood Cancer: A Qualitative Investigation, Alana Delores Lopez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adolescent survivors of childhood cancer are a growing population with unique needs as they face a combination of challenges associated with normal development and returning to life after treatment completion (Wakefield et al., 2010). One specific need identified in the research literature includes the effective delivery of transitional care and planning (Hewitt, Greenfield, & Stovall, 2005). It has been suggested that the provision of transition care and planning can help facilitate the shift from one phase of care to another and promote positive transition experiences (National Cancer Institute, 2008). The shift from off-treatment to post-treatment and school reintegration have been …

Role Of Cmc-Embedded Webquests In Enhancement Of Online Students' Knowledge And Understanding Of German Culture - A Case Study, Radhika Lothe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Existing approaches to teaching `culture' in the realm of Distance foreign language (FL) instruction and gaps within; under-researched Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) tool of webquests; and Mediation in Sociocultural Theory (SCT) have all led to the following case study. This study was guided by the constructs of `culture' in FL instruction, Sociocultural Theory, and literature in CALL and Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC).

This study examines how CMC-embedded webquests (asynchronous and synchronous CMC components built into webquests) developed online students' knowledge and understanding of German culture. Additionally, this study examines what mediating strategies (Lidz, 2002) were used by the online students …

Operational Performance Evaluation Of Four Types Of Exit Ramps On Florida's Freeways, Linjun Lu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses primarily on the analysis of exit ramp performance related to safety and operations. The safety analysis focuses on the impacts of different exit ramp types for freeway diverge areas and different factors contributing to the crashes that occur on the exit ramp sections. The operational analysis is based mainly on simulations by TSIS-CORSIM. Different ramp effects and guidance for selecting optimal exit ramp type are concluded. Issues related to ramp sections and crossroad sections are also demonstrated. Minimum ramp length and minimum distance between ramp terminal and downstream or upstream intersections are calculated. The operational analysis was …

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 …

The Return Of The 1950s Nuclear Family In Films Of The 1980s, Chris Steve Maltezos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the 1980s the cinematic nuclear family flourished again after the self-explorative 1960s and turbulent 1970s. This thesis explores the portrayal of the idealized American family in film between the 1950s and 1980s. The 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause reflects the 1950s cinematic family model. My investigation includes the role of the father figure and the bonds in intergenerational relationships. During the early 1980s, films such Ordinary People and ET: The Extraterrestrial reflect the need to reevaluate the 1950s ideal nuclear family. My examination of these films continues to include the importance of the father figure and bonds between …

Repeated Binge Pattern Ethanol Administration During Adolescence Or Adulthood: Long-Term Changes In Voluntary Ethanol Intake And Mesolimbic Dopamine Functionality In Male Rats, Antoniette Michelle Maldonado-Devincci

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Binge alcohol consumption is a rising concern in the United States, especially among adolescents as during this developmental period alcohol use is usually initiated and has been shown to cause detrimental effects on brain structure and function. These findings have been established through the use of binge models in animals, where animals are repeatedly administered high doses of ethanol typically over a period of three or four days. While such work has examined the effects of a four-day and repeated three-day binge, there has been almost no work conducted aimed at investigating the long-term behavioral and neurochemical and/or functional consequences …

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, …

An Empirical Investigation Of Decision Aids To Improve Auditor Effectiveness In Analytical Review, Robert N. Marley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is considerable evidence in the audit literature that even though auditors usually identify the relevant information needed to propose and select the correct cause of an unexpected fluctuation, they frequently do not propose the correct cause, and even when they do propose the correct cause, they often fail to select it. I suggest that working memory limitations might be a factor contributing to this analytical review paradox. Consequently, this study investigates whether two new decision aids, designed from Cognitive Load Theory, reduce auditors' cognitive load during analytical review, freeing cognitive resources for problem solving, and ultimately leading to improved …

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 Construction Of Adversarial Growth In The Wake Of A Hurricane, Beverly Lynn Mcclay Borawski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study employed a qualitative approach to explore the factors that contribute to positive change and growth following a natural disaster. The qualitative methodology included narrative interviews and family group interviews that were conducted with six families in Florida that had experienced two or three hurricanes within six weeks in 2004. Narrative analysis and thematic analysis were used to discover what factors contributed to participants experiencing positive growth.

Participants described the experience of surviving and coping with the hurricane. Participants reported that preparation before a hurricane was a three-part process that involved physical, mental, and emotional preparation. Four actions were …

Poe As Magazinist, Kay Ellen Mckamy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Edgar Allan Poe has long been recognized as one of American literature's most intriguing authors, usually for reasons other than his writing. Most literary studies examine one or two of his tales and perhaps one or two comments he made about the short tale. This dissertation will instead look at the work Poe did while involved in the world of early-American magazines for the last seventeen years of his life. It will explore how the magazine world affected his writing and his theories, especially his theories on the genre of the short story, a genre that Poe essentially described and …

Middle School Students' Willingness To Engage In Different Types Of Activities With Peers: The Effect Of Presence Of Adhd Symptoms And Familiarity With Adhd, Melanie M. Mcmahan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In addition to the increased risk they face for social and academic problems, adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) must also contend with stigma attached to the disorder. For instance, youth prefer greater social distance from students described with ADHD symptoms than from peers with asthma (Walker, Coleman, Lee, Squire, & Friesen, 2008), and adolescents are also reluctant to engage in activities (e.g., go to the movies, study together) with a peer described with ADHD symptoms compared to peers described as obese or autistic (Law, Sinclair, & Fraser, 2007). Familiarity with individuals diagnosed with ADHD may influence adolescents' perceptions of their …

A House But Not A Home? Measuring "Householdness" In The Daily Lives Of Monticello's "Nail Boys", Shannon Lee Mcvey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Monticello, the plantation home of Thomas Jefferson, was also home to more than 100 African American slaves between 1771 and 1826. As many as 40 members of this community lived and worked on Mulberry Row, once a bustling avenue of residential and industrial activity adjacent to the Palladian mansion. Archaeological excavations in 1957 and 1982–-1983 uncovered the remains of Mulberry Row's nailery, where preteen and teenaged enslaved "“nail boys”" manufactured nails for internal use and sale. These excavations revealed surprisingly high amounts of domestic artifacts, particularly ceramics and glass, indicating the young nailers also may have lived inside the nailery. …

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.

A Gay Savior: Reducing Anti-Gay Feelings With Gay Male Kindness Following Ostracism, Kenneth Michniewicz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Social scientists have extensively examined ways of reducing negative feelings toward minority groups. However, no research has examined the ability for passive ostracism, the implicit exclusion of an individual by one's peers, to reduce such negative feelings despite evidence that such exclusion can yield similar positive benefits. The present study sought to address this deficit in the literature by exploring whether or not implicit ostracism by one's peers can cause a kind gesture by a stigmatized minority group member (gay men) to improve general perceptions of the associated group. A sample of 211 undergraduate students from the University of South …

Ethical And Moral Decision Making: Praxis And Hermeneutics For School Leaders, Joan Quinn Minnis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There has been a renewed interest in the inclusion of ethics as part of educators' training and interest in understanding the moral and ethical dimensions of educational practice. This research was designed to study the types of dilemmas school level leaders face, the characteristics of typical dilemmas, and the implications for leader preparation, professional development, and practice.

In documenting the lived experiences of former school level leaders, the grounded theory approach to qualitative inquiry and the critical incident technique (CIT) were employed. Data collected from interview sessions, dialogs, journals and reflections were used to analyze the types of dilemmas school …