Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Micro- And Nano-Scale Switches And Tuning Elements For Microwave Applications, Thomas P. Ketterl

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this work, various components for low power RF telemetry applications have been investigated. These designed, fabricated and tested devices include radio frequency (RF) micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) switches, single-pole-double-throw (SPDT) RF MEMS switches, nano fabricated capacitors and switching devices, and micromachined microstrip patch antennas.Coplanar waveguide (CPW) RF capacitive switches in shunt and series configuration were designed for high isolation, low insertion loss, and fast switching speed. Switches with > 35 dB isolation, < 0.3 dB insertion loss and switching speeds in the 10's of microseconds were fabricated and measured. These switches were packaged using photo-imagable resists and flip-chip bonding techniques. The MEMS shunt switch topology was also implemented into a single-pole-double-throw (SPDT) design by utilizing two such switches in a series and a shunt configuration, offset by a quarter wavelength section to provide a RF shor

t at the input of the shunt switch in the off state. This type of design has the advantage of requiring a simple on-off (0 V and 35 V) …

Lean Manufacturers Transcendence To Green Manufacturing: Correlating The Diffusion Of Lean And Green Manufacturing Systems, Gary G. Bergmiller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Scientific evidence of human impact on the natural environment, such as global warming, continues to mount. Green manufacturing systems that focus on minimizing environmental impact of manufacturing processes and products are ever more important to our sustainable future. Green manufacturing systems are slow to gain acceptance as manufacturers are focused on implementing Lean manufacturing systems, generally considered the most competitive manufacturing systems in the world.

In recent years, researchers and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have sought to "build a bridge" between Lean and Green manufacturing systems, in hopes that the rapid expanse of Lean can serve as a …

Reliability-Centric Probabilistic Analysis Of Vlsi Circuits, Thara Rejimon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Reliability is one of the most serious issues confronted by microelectronics industry as feature sizes scale down from deep submicron to sub-100-nanometer and nanometer regime. Due to processing defects and increased noise effects, it is almost impractical to come up with error-free circuits. As we move beyond 22nm, devices will be operating very close to their thermal limit making the gates error-prone and every gate will have a finite propensity of providing erroneous outputs. Additional factors increasing the erroneous behaviors are low operating voltages and extremely high frequencies. These types of errors are not captured by current defect and fault …

Transmission Power Control For Wireless Sensors Networks, Karim Souccar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Energy saving, in battery operated wireless sensor networks, for the purpose of increasing the node and network lifetime, has gained substantial importance. This research was conducted with the objective of reducing the power consumption of the MICA2 sensors. The objective was pursued by manipulating the MAC layer, and by introducing a dynamic transmission power control algorithm. A new simulation tool was developed in order to reduce the complexity related to the design and testing of the transmission power control algorithm. The power control algorithm was also developed in the NesC language for the MICA2 sensors. In addition,several modifications were introduced …

Electromagnetic Characterization Of Miniature Antennas For Portable Devices, Diana P. Aristizabal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Advances in technology have placed a great emphasis on the design of broadband antennas as well as antenna miniaturization to cope with the demands of making electronic and handheld communication devices smaller and more efficient. In this thesis, the design and fabrication of a frequency independent antenna and a narrow-band planar microstrip Balun are presented. An analysis of frequency selective surfaces is also introduced in order to demonstrate their capability to miniaturize antenna thickness. Lastly, s-parameters measurements and efficiency characterization are performed to determine the radiation properties of surface mount chip inductors in order to determine the feasibility of using …

Ieee 802.11b Wireless Lan Sensor System And Antenna Design, Leonard Guerra

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A novel approach to miniaturizing an 802.11b WLAN card using folded-flex ultra-thin substrates is presented. A 73 percent reduction in size was realized using hybrid circuits on FR4 and polyimide. There is even more potential for further reduction if more copper layers are used. The miniaturized 802.11b WLAN cards were used to design 802.11b wireless sensor nodes. A research test-bed was setup to study how 802.11b networked sensor nodes could operate in the field. There are many applications for such sensor networks like habitat monitoring, object tracking, seismic detection, military surveillance, or fire detection to name a few. This investigation …

Effects Of Trait Anxiety And Cognitive Appraisals On Emotional Reactions To Psychological And Physical Stressors, Qutayba Abdullatif

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of individual differences in trait anxiety on cognitive appraisals and emotional reactions to stressful situations. Specifically, the effects of trait anxiety on the evaluation of psychological and physical threats to well-being were examined in relation to state-anxiety. To accomplish this goal, a proposed model consisting of elements from the Lazarus and Folkman Stress and Coping Model (1984) and Spielberger's State Trait distinctions is presented. To our knowledge, this is the first proposed model to attempt to combine trait anxiety, primary and secondary appraisals, and state anxiety and to utilize path analytic models in assessing empirical …

Analysis Of The Role Of Residential Segregation On Perinatal Outcomes In Florida, Georgia And Louisiana, Tabia Henry Akintobi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between residential segregation (the physical separation of Blacks and Whites in residential contexts) and adverse perinatal outcomes (low birth weight, preterm delivery and small for gestational age births) in Florida, Georgia and Louisiana. The study determined the independent effect of the level of residential segregation on the likelihood of adverse perinatal outcomes after controlling for contextual and individual factors. The study also assessed whether the relationship between residential segregation and adverse perinatal outcomes were moderated by ethnicity and median income.The studied employed an observational, cross-sectional study design that utilized secondary …

Interspecific Interactions Among Common Insects Of The Salt Myrtle, Baccharis Halimifolia L. (Asteraceae), Laura F. Altfeld

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Baccharis halimifolia is host to many species of insect herbivore, including myrmecophilous aphids. Previous studies with B. halimifolia have revealed strong effects of competition by an early-feeding beetle, Trirhabda bacharidis, and nitrogen enrichment. The effects of ant mutualists, however, have not been evaluated for their potential influence on interspecific interactions among insects on the host plant. I have employed a series of experiments aimed at answering the following general questions. (1) How does the density of aphid-tending ants affect common insects on the host plant? (2) What are the relative effects of (a) competition from T. bacharidis, (b) nutrient enrichment, …

A Three Part Study On The Relationship Between Retirement Planning And Health, Linda Christine Albert

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Researchers consistently conclude that finances and health are the two most significant factors associated with retirement decision-making and a successful retirement experience. Retirement planning is one mechanism by which individuals prepare for the retirement transition; however, retirement planning routinely emphasizes financial concerns, often to the exclusion of health or other significant aspects of retirement. Retirement planning is an increasingly relevant topic at a time when the population is aging, company-sponsored pensions and retiree benefits have diminished significantly, and reform is being sought for the long-standing social programs that have provided support for generations of older Americans. From a financial perspective, …

What Is The Effect Of Retrieval Practice On Competing Associates In Cued-Recall?, Umit Akirmak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There have been many theories on why we forget. One of the recent approaches to this phenomenon is retrieval induced forgetting (RIF). The present study investigated RIF and different kinds of disruptions and their effects by using extra-list cued recall task. Some participants studied two additional word lists after the target list and some participants studied and were tested from these interpolated lists before their final recall of target list. Relatedness of the interfering lists was also manipulated. There were two control groups that either got an immediate test or got a math task before memory test. The particular interest …

The Relationship Between B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Levels And Hospital Length Of Stay And Quality Of Life In Congestive Heart Failure Patientsthe Relationship Between B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Levels And Hospital Length Of Stay And Quality Of Life In Congestive Heart Failure Patients, Irma B. Ancheta

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous research on quality of life (QOL) and its relation to BNP levels in heart failure (HF) has been widely studied. However, the impact of physicians' knowledge of BNP levels at time of clinic visit on QOL and hospital length of stay (LOS) has yet to be fully investigated. The purpose of this study were to determine if physicians' knowledge of BNP levels affected a change in QOL scores at 90 days and reduce hospital length of stay among heart failure patients. QOL data from HF clinic patients (N = 108, 67.5 ± 12.3, 56% male, ejection fraction 26.5 ± …

Proactive Personality, Stress And Voluntary Work Behaviors, Ozgun Burcu Rodopman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study has two primary contributions to the existing literature linking stressors to employee reactions. First, job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion are proposed to mediate the relationship between stressors and both forms of voluntary workplace behaviors, specifically OCB and CWB. A comprehensive framework, which includes both streams of voluntary workplace behaviors (OCB and CWB) will expand the common practice of investigating them separately and helps us better understand the parallel mechanisms linked to OCB and CWB. Secondly, the role of proactive personality will be investigated to gain insights into how it relates to job attitudes and voluntary work behaviors. …

A Compiler-Based Leakage Reduction Technique By Power-Gating Functional Units In Embedded Microprocessors, Soumyaroop Roy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Power-gating is a technique investigated widely for reducing leakage energy in the functional units of microprocessors at the architectural level. Effective power-gating involves deactivating idle functional units for sustained periods incurring little or no performance degradation. Accurate prediction of long idle periods is essential, which, in turn, depends on the application program characteristics.In this thesis, we propose a compiler-based leakage reduction technique for embedded architectures by exploiting the well-known attributes of embedded applications, namely, small code size and intensive loops. From the control flow graph (CFG) representation of the source program, we construct a forest of loop hierarchy trees (LHTs), …

The Effects Of In-Group Bias And Decision Aids On Auditors’ Evidence Evaluation, Eileen Zalkin Taylor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the effect of in-group bias and decision aid use on auditor judgments, confidence, and decisions in an analytical procedures task. In-group bias, a product of Social Identity Theory, may impair auditor independence by influencing auditor judgments. Auditors rely on client representations to support their opinion of the financial statements; however, clients are sometimes former auditors of the external audit firm. This prior relationship could lead the auditor to exhibit unwarranted trust of client representations. In an online mixed design experiment using staff and senior auditors, I test whether auditor judgments, confidence in those judgments, and decisions to …

Effects Of A-Beta Immunotherapy And Omega-3 Fatty Acid Administration In Alzheimer’S Transgenic Mice, Maren T. Jensen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Major therapeutics against Alzheimer's disease (AD) are targeted towards reducing beta-amyloid in the brain and improving cognitive performance. Transgenic mouse models of AD have become critical in the development of such therapeutics to protect against or treat AD. This dissertation examined the potential protective effects of both active A-beta immunotherapy and dietary omega-3 fatty acid administration to AD transgenic mice. First, immunization with A-beta 1-42 from 2-16 1/2 months of age provided protection against cognitive impairment in APP/PS1 transgenic mice well into older age. At both adult (4 1/2-6 month) and aged (15-16 1/2 month) test points, an extensive 6-week …

Poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide) Based Biomems/Nems For Cell Manipulation, Alexandro Castellanos Mier

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, BioMEMS/NEMS have been primary elements associated with the research and development efforts in the bioengineering area. International and federal funding has effected an enormous increase in the development of state-of-the-art bioengineering and biomedical technologies. Most of the BioMEMS/NEMS related applications are associated with diagnostics, sensing and detection. Procedures for separation and manipulation of biological components play a paramount role in the function of these bioengineering mechanisms. This research was concerned with the development of a novel BioMEMS device for cell manipulation. The functioning of the device is based on the use of thermally responsive polymer networks, which …

Folk Wiki: The Shared Traditions Of Folk Music And The Wiki Way, Phillip Mark Chamberlin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Wiki is often perceived as representing a revolutionary break from conventional notions of authorship, writing, and textual history. Dialogues concerning Wiki tend to ignore the characteristics that Wiki shares with earlier forms of collaboration, particularly folk music. In both Wiki and folk music, content is often collectively shared and authored, even if specific individuals create and change the content. Many collaborators are anonymous, quasi-anonymous, or pseudo-anonymous, but the perception of this anonymity is, in both genres, problematic. Second, both Wiki documents and folk songs exist in the "Eternal Now," a seemingly perpetual state that makes these texts available for addition, …

Micronektonic Community Composition And Trophic Structure Within The Bathypelagic Zone In The Eastern Gulf Of Mexico, Scott E. Burghart

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Earth's most extensive living space is found in the bathypelagic zone of the oceans, yet research in these areas is scant. The micronekton of the bathypelagic zone in the eastern Gulf of Mexico (EGOM) was investigated with the goals of comparing its community structure and trophic interactions with those of the well-studied overlying mesopelagic micronekton. Significant changes in faunal structure were found, including shifts in dominant families as well as species. Compared to the mesopelagic zone, the bathypelagic community had increased abundance and biomass contributions from the Gonostomatidae, Oplophoridae,and Eucopiidae, with a simultaneous decrease in the importance of the …

Certificate Of Need Regulation In The Nursing Home Industry: Has It Outlived Its Usefulness?, Barbara J. Caldwell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary goals of the National Health Planning and Resources Development Act (P.L. 93-641) of 1974 were to (1) contain health care costs and (2) increase the accessibility and quality of health services. Certificate of need (CON) regulation is one attempt to constrain health care costs by limiting the supply of certain medical care facilities. With respect to the nursing home industry, prospective nursing home owners/operators are required to demonstrate that a "need" exists for more nursing home beds. Some States also imposed a construction moratorium that prevented any expansion of existing facilities or construction of new facilities regardless of …

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

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

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

A Case Study Of A School Implementing A Constructivist Philosophy, Joseph C. Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Isaacson's (2004) dissertation chronicles the implementation of a constructivist instructional approach at Southwood Elementary School. Southwood's faculty experienced a change of principals, which the Tri-Partite Theory of Organizational Change and Succession, a theory of organizational entropy, predicts could lead to organizational entropy. This study examines the dynamics of the change in principal, as well as Isaacson's recommendation to study teachers' perceptions regarding the maintenance of the constructivist approach. This study answers three questions: 1) Are faculty still using constructivist strategies? 2) What are teacher perceptions regarding the maintenance and support of constructivist philosophy? 3) Is there congruence between what literature …

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

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

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

Estimation Of The Particle And Gas Scavenging Contributions To Wet Deposition Of Organic And Inorganic Nitrogen, Silvia Margarita Calderã³N

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen species represents an additional nutrient source to natural environments, and can alter the nitrogen cycle by increasing nutrient levels beyond the requirements of organisms. In Tampa Bay, atmospheric deposition of dissolved inorganic nitrogen species (DIN) has been found to be the second largest nitrogen source, but little is known about dissolved organic nitrogen species (DON). The research goal was to improve the dry and wet deposition estimates by inclusion of the DON contribution. In the atmospheric chemistry field a standard method to measure DON in atmospheric samples has not been agreed upon. This research proposes the …

The Hearing Abilities Of Elasmobranch Fishes, Brandon M. Casper

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The hearing abilities of elasmobranch fishes were examined in response to several types of stimuli using auditory evoked potentials (AEP). Audiograms were acquired for the nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum, the yellow stingray, Urobatis jamaicensis, in a controlled environment using a monopole underwater speaker. A dipole stimulus was used to measure the hearing thresholds of the horn shark, Heterodontus francisi, and the white-spotted bamboo shark, Chiloscyllium plagiosum. The dipole experiments yielded much lower thresholds than any other experiment, suggesting that this type of sound specifically stimulated the macula neglecta by creating a strong velocity flow above the head of the shark. …

Regulation Of Transcription And Analysis Of Drug Targets In Lymphoma And Myeloma Cells, Sophia C. E Bolick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hematological malignancies, such as lymphomas and myelomas, have low cure rates or remain refractory to treatment, although advances have been made in treatment regimens for these patients. Questions still remain as to what is occurring in these cells on a molecular level, specifically at the level of gene transcription. The positive regulatory domain I binding factor 1 (PRDI-BF1) has been shown to directly repress genes required for cell proliferation and maintenance of the B cell phenotype, however very little is known as to its regulation. The first study presented in this dissertation demonstrates regulation of the PRDM1 gene occurs primarily …

School Principals’ Knowledge And Understanding Of Educator Sexual Misconduct Against Students, Sylvia Sonja Cairns

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to explore what public school principals know and understand about educator sexual misconduct. This project attempted to provide a clearer picture of how administrators perceived and performed their leadership role as moral keeper of the school. In examining the literature, the researcher determined that there is a paucity of information concerning educator sexual misconduct.To accomplish the goals of this research project, the investigator paid particular attention to the study, Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature, prepared by Shakeshaft in 2004 for the U.S. Department of Education. Insights afforded by Shakeshaft's study …

Cloning And Analysis Of Putative Collagenases Of The U32 Family In Streptococcus Mutans And Streptococcus Agalactiae (Group B Streptococci), Valerie Carson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Analysis of the genomic sequences of Streptococcus mutans UA159 and Group B Streptococcus (GBS) strains Streptococcus agalactiae NEM316 and S. agalactiae 2603V/R indicated the presence of two putative collagenase genes in each organism. smcol1 from S. mutans was previously cloned and analyzed and the results indicated that the enzyme belonged to the U32 family of collagenases/peptidases. This enzyme shares homology with the prtC of Porphyromonas gingivalis, one of the principal examples of the U32 family of peptidases. Considering the potential role of these enzymes in the pathogenicity of P. gingivalis (periodontitis or gum disease), GBS (premature rupture of the amniochorionic …

Cue Reactivity And The Role Of Social Alcohol Expectancies In The College-Aged Drinking Population, Ashlee C. Carter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown alcohol expectancies to be critically important in understanding maladaptive drinking patterns within alcohol use disorders. Alcohol expectancies, thought to be automatically elicited in the presence of environmental alcohol-related cues, represent both cognitive and affective associations with drinking behavior. However, the automatic and affective properties of alcohol expectancies have not yet been thoroughly measured in the literature. Psychophysiological measures, including skin conductance, heart rate, and the acoustic startle response in particular, offer a uniquely powerful set of indices for the automatic affective processing of alcohol-related cues.

Therefore, the present study was designed to examine how alcohol expectancies moderate …

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

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

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