Digital Commons Network^™

Propagated Image Segmentation Using Edge-Weighted Centroidal Voronoi Tessellation Based Methods, Youjie Zhou

Theses and Dissertations

Propagated image segmentation is the problem of utilizing the existing segmentation of an image for obtaining a new segmentation of, either a neighboring image in a sequence, or the same image but in different scales. We name these two cases as the inter-image propagation and the intra-image propagation respectively. The inter-image propagation is particularly important to material science, where efficient and accurate segmentation of a sequence of 2D serial-sectioned images of 3D material samples is an essential step to understand the underlying micro-structure and related physical properties. For natural images with objects in different scales, the intra-image propagation, where segmentations …

Achieving Reliable Generation \& Delivery Of Energy Through Robust Optimization, Anna Danandeh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, we elaborate on the inherent risks and uncertainties in power systems and associated industries, and develop practical solution methods to eliminate their adverse effects.

our research agenda consists of practice-driven problems in different stages of power generation as follows. (1) Affordable fuel procurement through developing a comprehensive fuel supply chain design and operations planning system for electricity generation companies, (2) reliable electricity generation through incorporating dynamic asset rating concept in the unit commitment problem, and (3) efficient demand management through proposing a job scheduling model for effective local generation consumption.

Since reliability cannot be compromised in energy …

Analysis And Energy Reduction Of Humanoid Robot Motions – Stand Up And Sit Down, Ercan Elibol

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research studies the electrical power reduction and control analysis of various motion tasks of a humanoid robot. These motions include standing up and sitting down. Each motion’s tasks have their stable and unstable phases throughout the complete motion cycle. Unstable phases can be caused by gravity forces and improper handling of the upper body of the humanoid robot leaning too forward or backward. Even though most of the dynamic motions seem to be accomplished very simply by humans; standing up and sitting down could create challenges for humanoid robots. Some of the critical challenges researches face are: dynamic nature …

Rf Mems Resonators For Mass Sensing Applications, Ivan Fernando Rivera

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sensing devices developed upon resonant microelectromechanical and nanoelectromechanical (M/NEMS) system technology have become one of the most attractive areas of research over the past decade. These devices make exceptional sensing platforms because of their miniscule dimensions and resonant modes of operation, which are found to be extremely sensitive to added mass. Along their unique sensing attributes, they also offer foundry compatible microfabrication processes, low DC power consumption, and CMOS integration compatibility. In this work, electrostatically and piezoelectrically actuated RF MEMS bulk resonators have been investigated for mass sensing applications. The capacitively-transduced resonators employed electrostatic actuation to achieve desired resonance mode …

The Influence Of Community-Based Summer Programs On Ethnically Diverse, Low-Income Chicago Youth, Amy Governale

Master's Theses

How youth spend their time has become an increasingly important factor in studying adolescent development. During the summer months, longer periods of unsupervised time have been associated with a loss of academic skills and lower social-emotional skills. One support for at-risk youth and adolescents might be summer programs housed in community-based organizations. Using a pre-post test design over an 11-week period, the present study examines the linkages among participation in summer programs, individual characteristics, and youth outcomes among ethnically diverse, low-income Chicago youth. Analyses revealed ethnicity was related to math skills at the end of the summer, although the strongest …

Wide As The Waters: Comparing Student Performance In Alabama And Florida From 1992-2011, Kellie Slappey Nothstine

Master's Theses

The school choice movement has been making significant traction within the United States in the last decade and a record number of states have implemented school choice programs that introduce competition to the traditional public schools and treat education like a market. The marketization of education and making traditional public school truly compete against alternative schooling options is more often discussed in theory but in reality is infrequently applied on a large scale. In an attempt to truly gauge the advantages, disadvantages, and real life application of what can result when market forces are applied to a state’s education system …

Autonomy Support, Elaborativeness, And Problem Solving During Families’ Building Construction In A Children’S Museum, Tayler Grashel

Master's Theses

The current study aimed to promote parent-child interactions that could foster children's early STEM learning. Specifically, the current study focuses on four dimensions of family interactions that have been found in prior work to support children's learning and development: problem solving, parents’ and children’s elaborative talk, and parental autonomy support. This study examined how levels of support on each of these dimensions related to children's abilities to build and fix skyscrapers made out of plastic building materials in the Skyline exhibit at the Chicago Children's Museum. The participants were 74 families with 4- to 8- year old children (M = …

Malaria Transmission Blocking Vaccines, Lukasz Jacek Sewera

Master's Theses

Malaria affects 198 million people and kills 584,000 each year, predominantly in Sub-Saharan Africa (WHO). The most severe form of malaria is caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Development of a vaccine against P. falciparum has been hindered by its complex life cycle with multiple antigenically distinct human and mosquito stages. To effectively prevent disease and reduce the parasite burden in populations, a vaccine will need to target multiple stages, including blocking transmission at the mosquito stage.

Antibodies generated against P. falciparum mosquito stage antigen Pfs25 can prevent parasite transmission from humans to mosquitoes. However, Pfs25 is poorly immunogenic …

The Influence Of Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) Reef Restoration On Nitrogen Cycling In A Eutrophic Estuary., Michael Hassett

Master's Theses

Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) are functionally extinct in the urbanized Hudson-Raritan estuary (HRE) in New York City, however, oyster restoration is promoted to mitigate nitrogen (N) pollution via oysters' filtration and excretion. Seasonally, I took 12 sediment cores (45 cm2) adjacent to and 10 m away from a recently constructed reef in the HRE. Cores were incubated in flow-through chambers with site water containing (1) no amendments, (2) 15N-ammonium, or (3) 15N-nitrate, from which I calculated coupled nitrification-denitrification and direct denitrification as isotope-enriched N2. Coupled denitrification was minimal at all sites while direct denitrification was elevated near the reef, suggesting organic …

Math, Science, And Engineering Integration In A High School Engineering Course: A Qualitative Study, Clara G. Valtorta, Leema K. Berland

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Engineering in K-12 classrooms has been receiving expanding emphasis in the United States. The integration of science, mathematics, and engineering is a benefit and goal of K-12 engineering; however, current empirical research on the efficacy of K-12 science, mathematics, and engineering integration is limited. This study adds to this growing field, using discourse analysis techniques to examine whether and why students integrate math and science concepts into their engineering design work. The study focuses on student work during a unit from a high school engineering course. Video data were collected during the unit and were used to identify episodes of …

Outsourcing, Data Insourcing, And The Irrelevant Constitution, Kimberly L. Wehle

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Effects Of A Physical Education Supportive Curriculum And Technological Devices On Physical Activity, Emily Clapham, Eileen C. Sullivan, Lori E. Ciccomascolo

Kinesiology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a physical education supportive curriculum and technological devices, heart rate monitor (HRM) and pedometer (PED), on physical activity. A single-subject ABAB research design was used to examine amount and level of participation in physical activity among 106 suburban fourth and fifth graders during physical education class. A curriculum, which was pedagogically centered on the use of the technological devices, was also developed and studied. Six children from each group and the physical education teacher were interviewed. The results of a one-way ANCOVA indicated group differences between the supportive curriculum …

Reform Through A Student Lens: The Experience Of Latino A Students In An International Baccalaureate Diploma Program In Chicago, Sandra Arreguin

Dissertations

This dissertation is a study of Latinos participating in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in Chicago. Phenomenological interview techniques were used to explore the experiences and perceptions of Latino students in IB. By looking at Latino/a students separately the study captured the strengths, challenges, and needs unique to this group, which will inform the future of this rapidly growing curriculum reform effort.

Beyond Ss: An Analysis Of Alternative Risk Measures, Jai Kedia

Senior Independent Study Theses

Investors require a return from investing in stock securities that adequately compensate the investors for the risk level assumed. Therefore, any calculation of expected returns from a stock requires knowledge of the risk of the security. While there is no strong consensus on an ideal risk measure, traditionally risk has been conceptualized as volatility and is measured by the ß of the stock or portfolio. This paper hypothesizes that alternative risk measures such as higher order moments, size, leverage, and price-to-book value add explanatory power to the ß when predicting stock returns. Empirical analysis is conducted using both regression and …

Learning Emotions: A Software Engine For Simulating Realistic Emotion In Artificial Agents, Douglas Code

Senior Independent Study Theses

This paper outlines a software framework for the simulation of dynamic emotions in simulated agents. This framework acts as a domain-independent, black-box solution for giving actors in games or simulations realistic emotional reactions to events. The emotion management engine provided by the framework uses a modified Fuzzy Logic Adaptive Model of Emotions (FLAME) model, which lets it manage both appraisal of events in relation to an individual’s emotional state, and learning mechanisms through which an individual’s emotional responses to a particular event or object can change over time. In addition to the FLAME model, the engine draws on the design …

I Don't Play Chess: A Study Of Chess Piece Generating Polynomials, Stephen R. Skoch

Senior Independent Study Theses

This independent study examines counting problems of non-attacking rook, and non-attacking bishop placements. We examine boards for rook and bishop placement with restricted positions and varied dimensions. In this investigation, we discuss the general formula of a generating function for unrestricted, square bishop boards that relies on the Stirling numbers of the second kind. We discuss the maximum number of bishops we can place on a rectangular board, as well as a brief investigation of non-attacking rook placements on three-dimensional boards, drawing a connection to latin squares.

Enhancing Playful Teachers’ Perception Of The Importance Of Ict Use In The Classroom: The Role Of Risk Taking As A Mediator, A. Lin Goodwin, Ee Ling Low, Pak Tee Ng, Alexander S. Yeung, Li Cai

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In today’s world, teaching and learning processes inevitably involve the application of information and communication technology (ICT). It seems reasonable to expect personal attributes such as cognitive playfulness to be associated with consistent application of ICT. Using survey responses from Singapore students in a teacher education programme (n = 450), structural equation modelling (SEM) found that the effect of cognitive playfulness on the perceived importance of ICT was mediated by risk taking orientation, but the mediation effect was not observed with perceived competence in ICT use. Academic self-concept had negligible relation with the two ICT variables. As personal attributes …

Exploring Links Between Pedagogical Knowledge Practices And Student Outcomes In Stem Education For Primary Schools, Peter Hudson, Lyn English, Les Dawes, Donna King, Steve Baker

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is an emerging initiative in Australia, particularly in primary schools. This qualitative research aimed to understand Year 4 students’ involvement in an integrated STEM education unit that focused on science concepts (e.g., states of matter, testing properties of materials) and mathematics concepts (e.g., 3D shapes and metric measurements) for designing, making and testing a strong and safe medical kit to insulate medicines (ice cubes) at desirable temperatures. Data collection tools included student work samples, photographs, written responses from students and the teacher, and researcher notes. In a post-hoc analysis, a pedagogical knowledge practice …

Epistemological Considerations For Approaching Teaching In An On-Line Environment Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Teacher Education Program: Reconsidering Tpack, Brian Ellis Lewthwaite, Cecily Knight, Max Lenoy

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This research inquiry explores teacher educator knowledge, understandings and beliefs informing their teaching in a web-based Australian teacher education program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Through the use of a phenomenologically aligned interview process, the study investigates instructors’ consideration of practice for teaching in an on-line environment. Using the TPACK framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) as a lens for analysis, what emerges from the data is how lecturers’ knowledge and beliefs about students influences the roles they adopt as educators, and how this influences, in turn, what and how technology is used to support student learning. The …

Learning To Become Teacher Educators: Testimonies Of Three Phd Students In China, Rui Yuan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

While there has been an increasing number of graduate students who enter teacher education after obtaining a higher research degree (e.g., PhD or EdD), scant attention has been paid to their professional learning as prospective teacher educators in higher education. To fill this gap, this study, informed by the social theory of learning, investigates how three PhD students learned to become teacher educators in a university in China. Drawing on the data from interviews and the participants’ personal reflections, the study shows that the participants engaged in professional learning by interacting with different others (e.g., teachers and teacher educators), negotiating …

Pathways To Professional Growth: Investigating Upper Primary School Teachers’ Perspectives On Learning To Teach Algebra, Karina J. Wilkie, Doug Clarke

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper discusses upper primary school teachers’ perspectives on changes to their knowledge and practice through participation in a design-based research project. It analyses their experiences using Clarke & Hollingsworth’s (2002) empirically-founded model for professional growth to understand more about the mechanisms for change that might support teachers in learning to teach a challenging but important aspect of mathematics – algebra. Ten teachers were involved in cycles of collaborative planning, team-teaching, evaluating, and revising five lessons for their classes on developing functional thinking through pattern generalisation over one year. The teachers referred to observations of teaching in action, and modification …

Changing Teachers’ Practices Through Exploratory Talk In Mathematics: A Discursive Pedagogical Perspective, Carol Murphy

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract.:This paper presents data collected as part of an intervention research project to develop exploratory talk and collaborative group work with six and seven year-old students in mathematics. A discursive approach was used to analyse and interpret variations in the way that three case-study teachers, involved in the project, managed the group work and developed the students’ talk. Analysis suggested that the intervention required, not just a change in practice, also but a shift in ideologies for these teachers. Ideologies are seen as discourses that legitimate and maintain a social pattern, and the paper explores how a research-based intervention …

Preparedness Of Pre-Service Teachers For Inclusive Education In The Solomon Islands, Umesh Sharma, Janine Simi, Chris Forlin

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Recent policy changes in the Pacific Islands have seen a strong emphasis on implementing inclusive education. Preparing teachers for this change in education will be essential if they are to have the knowledge, skills and understandings so that they can become inclusive practitioners. Pre-service teacher education will play a critical role in supporting this process. This paper considers the perceptions of pre-service teachers undertaking the first year of the Diploma of Teaching in the one university in the Solomon Islands. This is the only university that prepares teachers to work across the entire archipelago. Data are collected pre and post …

Factors In Instructional Decision-Making, Ratings Of Evidence And Intended Instructional Practices Of Australian Final Year Teacher Education Students, Mark Carter, Jennifer Stephenson, Toni Hopper

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

There has been increasing interest in an evidence-based approach to education in Australia but relatively little research has provided relevant data on knowledge of the evidence base for instructional practices among teachers preparing to enter the profession. Final year teacher education students (N = 290) in 15 Australian tertiary institutions were surveyed on their understanding of the strength of evidence for 14 instructional strategies and their intended frequency of use of the strategies following graduation. They were also asked to rate the importance of factors they considered in instructional decision-making. Empirical evidence was important in selection of instructional practices but …

A Stem Narrative: 15 Years In The Making., Susan Blackley, Jennifer Howell

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Since its inception in the late 1990s, STEM has continued to attract attention and sizeable funding in the US, UK, and Australia. This paper narrates the development of the STEM movement, and analyses both the influences that have progressed its evolution and those that have stymied authentic STEM practices. The pervading rhetoric of “STEM crisis” is considered through a global lens, and is resolved as a geo-political phenomenon. The strident voice of the US in the STEM narrative is tempered by investigating the approach to STEM in European, Asian, and developing countries. Two perspectives are described in the narrative: the …

Fijian Teachers' Conceptions Of Assessment, Hem Chand Dayal, Govinda Ishwar Lingam

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Abstract: Teacher’s conceptions are important as they have a strong influence on their professional practices. This study set out to explore Fijian teacher’s conceptions of assessment. Seventy teachers enrolled in an assessment course at a university in Fiji were involved in this study. Data was collected by asking teachers to write a reflection on assessment. The reflective exercise contained four open-ended items. Data was analyzed qualitatively. The results indicate that Fijian pre-service teachers generally held an assessment of learning view, while majority of in-service teachers see assessment as formative.

The Views Of Mathematics Teachers On The Factors Affecting The Integration Of Technology In Mathematics Courses, Gül Kaleli-Yilmaz

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The aim of this study is to determine the views of mathematics teachers on the factors that affect the integration of technology in mathematic courses. It is a qualitative case study. The sample size of the study is 10 teachers who are having postgraduate education in a university in Turkey. Current study was conducted at the three stages. At the first stage, software and learning objects were introduced to the teachers. At the second stage, the activities were performed to the teachers. At the third stage, teachers practiced a technology assisted course in a real classroom environment. After all stages …

Teacher Allocation Policies And The Unbalanced Distribution Of Novice And Senior Teachers Across Regions In Turkey, Murat Ozoglu

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Policies toward fostering a more balanced distribution of teacher quality have garnered considerable attention from researchers and policymakers around the world. This attention has been motivated largely by the widely acknowledged educational goal of providing quality education for all children. Equipped with similar policy concerns, this study examines the initial assignment of novice teachers and voluntary transfer of senior teachers to determine whether there is any kind of sorting pattern in the allocation of novice and experienced teachers to schools across regions, particularly across provinces, in Turkey. Using the entire initial teacher assignment and voluntary teacher transfer data in between …

Examining The Effects Of Reflective Journals On Pre-Service Science Teachers' General Chemistry Laboratory Achievement, Canan Cengiz, Faik Özgür Karataş

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The general chemistry laboratory is an appropriate place for learning chemistry well. It is also effective for stimulating higher-order thinking skills, including reflective thinking, a skill that is crucial for science teaching as well as learning. This study aims to examine the effects of feedback-supported reflective journal-keeping activities on first-year pre-service science teachers’ achievement. The pre-service science teachers were observed for eight weeks by collecting their journals. At the beginning and end of this process, an achievement test was administered. At the end of the study, the participants were also interviewed. It was found that feedback-supported reflective journal-keeping activities improved …

Teacher-Based Scaffolding As A Teacher Professional Development Program In Indonesia, Bujang Rahman, Abdurrahman Abdurrahman, Budi Kadaryanto, Nurlaksana Eko Rusminto

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Improvement of teachers’ content knowledge has long been regarded as a priority in Indonesian school systems, and has been the goal for many teacher professional development programs. In this paper we report the evaluation of a professional development program to improve content knowledge for 147 Indonesian teachers. The teachers were divided into three experimental groups, and each group was treated to one of the three professional development models frequently used in developing countries. The results showed that all three models led to improvement in the teachers’ content knowledge; however, the teacher-based scaffolding model proved to be the most effective. In …