American Studies Commons^™

Relationship Between Biofilm Removal And Membrane Performance Using Dunedin Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant As A Case Study, Joshua E. Goldman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Membrane biofouling is a common occurrence in water treatment plants that utilize reverse osmosis (RO). As bacteria and biofilm material build up on the membrane surface, it becomes more difficult for clean water to permeate through the membrane, and more pressure is required to produce the same amount of water. When pressures become critically high, membranes must be cleaned. This process is expensive in terms of chemical cost, labor, and downtime. Even after membranes have been cleaned, they can re-foul quickly if the cleaning did not effectively remove the biofilm. The water treatment plant in Dunedin, FL, which uses RO …

Changing The Subject: First-Person Narration In And Out Of The Classroom, Susan Friedman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The effectiveness of first-person narration for self-transformation and social change is indicated by exploring connections between three emergent discourses: illness narratives and memoirs by rape survivors in which the subject speaks from a privileged yet socially marginalized position about life-altering experiences; clinical discourse that elaborates treatment methods for empowering trauma survivors and helping them reconnect with the social world; and scholarly discourse that reflects on the relationship between trauma, self-representation, witnessing, and recovery. Post-Foucauldian theories of life-writing illuminate how the author-subjects of survivor narratives discursively reconstruct their shattered subjectivity in a therapeutic relationship with themselves and their readers. Cognitive and …

Transfer Track Versus Workforce Development: Implications For Policy Change In Florida Community Colleges, Karen Griffin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Policy-makers intend community colleges to be the primary vehicles for workforce development education and training. In support of this intent, community college mission statements and curricular patterns should clearly indicate a workforce emphasis. Do these statements and curricular patterns reflect policy intent? If not, are resources being directed appropriately? This study was conducted to determine whether the current composition of the overall Florida public community college curriculum and the content of Florida public community college mission and planning statements provided evidence to support Florida leadership policy statements that portray workforce development as a primary component of the community college mission. …

The Role Of Poly (Adp-Ribose) Polymerase-1 Inhibitors: Prevention Of Non Glutathione-Dependent Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Hepatotoxic, Paul Christopher Grivas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is a hepatotoxicant known to elevate alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and other liver enzyme levels, and cause lipid peroxidation, as well as centrilobular necrosis. A number of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors were administered via intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections to male ICR mice as cotreatments at various time intervals relative to the CCl4. Aminophylline, a water soluble complex consisting of two molecules of theophylline bridged by ethylene diamine, was administered one-half hour, one hour and two hours after CCl4. The levels of ALT in the serum, as well as malondialdehyde and its equivalent markers of oxidative damage in the …

Evaluation Of Scrap Tire-Derived Porous Rubber Tubing As A Green Membrane For Sustainable Water Filtration (Ecol-Mem Process), Ana Maria Garcia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasing population and extensive urbanization have strained resources around the world, promoting water scarcity and solid waste accumulation. Addressing the issues of access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation in developing countries is challenging due to limited technological and financial resources. Therefore, it is imperative that durable, low-cost, and sustainable technologies are developed to help alleviate these problems. At the same time, the production of solid waste has increased and includes waste tires, which pose a health and environmental hazard. Although efforts have been made to develop new markets for recycled scrap tires, a vast majority are still being …

Do You See What I Mean? Measuring Consensus Of Agreement And Understanding Of A National Weather Service Informational Graphic, Lorna M. Geggis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Media use of hurricane graphics to apprise populations vulnerable to severe weather provides a persuasive demonstration of the importance and complexity of visual communication. Surprisingly little research, however, has explored how audiences interpret weather graphics. This study examined whether the general public and the National Weather Service share a common understanding of selected weather related terms and meaning of a NWS informational graphic. Using a coorientation model, general public responses to a questionnaire were compared to definitions prescribed by the NWS. Additionally, the public were asked questions to measure trust of the NWS as a credible and reliable source of …

Forbidding And Enforcing Of Formal Languages, Graphs, And Partially Ordered Sets, Daniela Genova

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Forbidding and enforcing systems (fe-systems) provide a new way of defining classes of structures based on boundary conditions. Forbidding and enforcing systems on formal languages were inspired by molecular reactions and DNA computing. Initially, they were used to define new classes of languages (fe-families) based on forbidden subwords and enforced words. This paper considers a metric on languages and proves that the metric space obtained is homeomorphic to the Cantor space. This work studies Chomsky classes of families as subspaces and shows they are neither closed nor open. The paper investigates the fe-families as subspaces and proves the necessary and …

The Appeal Of The Underdog: Definition Of The Construct And Implications For The Self, Nadav Goldschmied

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

From politics to sports to business, people are quick to categorize those at a considerable competitive disadvantage as "underdogs." Moreover, there is ample support that most unattached observers do not hesitate to align themselves with underdogs, a phenomenon termed "the underdog effect." While most dictionary definitions state that underdogs are "especially expected to lose," the present investigation argues that people often attribute optimistic qualities to underdogs and the exceeding of expectations. A series of studies was conducted to examine the lay-person definition of what an underdog means, as well as what motivations may play a role in the underdog effect. …

Johnson’S System Of Distributions And Microarray Data Analysis, Florence George

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microarray technology permit us to study the expression levels of thousands of genes simultaneously. The technique has a wide range of applications including identification of genes that change their expression in cells due to disease or drug stimuli. The dissertation is addressing statistical methods for the selection of differentially expressed genes in two experimental conditions. We propose two different methods for the selection of differentially expressed genes. The first method is a classical approach, where we consider a common distribution for the summary measure of equally expressed genes. To estimate this common distribution, the Johnson system of distribution is used. …

Transport Characteristics Using Nor- Dihydroguaiaretic Acid (Ndga)- Polymerized Collagen Fibers As A Local Drug Delivery System, Eric Guegan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dexamethasone and dexamethasone 21-phosphate were loaded into NDGA-polymerized collagen fibers and release rate studies were performed to calculate their diffusion coefficients. Dexamethasone loaded fibers were placed in a PBS solution for specified time intervals (1, 3, 6, 7, 12, 24, 30, and 48 hours) after which the eluant was removed and analyzed by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). CZE is a tool that can be utilized for quantitative analysis of chemical compounds. This data was incorporated into mathematical models to determine the diffusion coefficient. The diffusion coefficient (D) for dexamethasone in NDGA-polymerized collagen fibers is D = 1.86 x 10^{-14 …}

Application And Modeling Of Tio2-Supported Gold Nanoparticles For The Preferential Oxidation Of Carbon Monoxide In Excess Hydrogen, Benjamin Alan Grayson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work begins with a brief overview of heterogeneous, characterization techniques, and current hypotheses about gold mechanisms. This is followed by the initial characterization of custom two-phase-method gold nanoparticles provided by the Interfacial Phenomena and Polymeric Materials research group at USF, the anatase TiO2 support and reference Au/TiO2 catalyst provided by the World Gold Council. In order to verify the ability of the two-phase-method GNP catalyst provided to oxidize CO in excess hydrogen, it was necessary to develop an effluent testing protocol. The first experiments involved 24 hour runs to observe catalyst deactivation. Concerns over cycling effects observed in the …

Exploring Childcare Professionals' Pedagogical Choice When Guiding Children's Social And Behavioral Development, Mary E. Harper

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To date the research in the area of social emotional competence has focused on child-based intervention and outcomes. The findings cite effective approaches to assisting children in the area of social and emotional development involving promotion of appropriate social skills, explicit instruction of behavioral expectations, and support for emotional literacy and awareness (Wester --

Stratton, 1990; Hyson, 2004; Fox et al, 2003; Denham & Burton, 1996). These recommended practices requires teacher knowledge and skill, content knowledge in the area of social emotional developmental, and skills in using pedagogical techniques that support acquisition of the aforementioned areas. Educational researchers and specialists …

Long-Term Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Reptile And Amphibian Communities In Florida Sandhill, Neal Thomas Halstead

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I examined the effects of fire frequency on reptile and amphibian community composition in a periodically burned sandhill habitat in west-central Florida. Plots burned in 2003 had lower species richness, diversity, and evenness indices than plots that had not been burned during the previous six years. Community composition was different among plots burned at different times and followed a gradient of change that corresponded to the time since the last fire. Aspidoscelis sexlineata were the most abundant lizards in recently burned plots, while Scincella lateralis and Plestiodon inexpectatus were relatively more abundant in unburned plots. Gopherus polyphemus were least abundant …

Nanoripples Formation In Calcite And Indium Phosphide (Inp) Single Crystals, Ramakrishna Gunda

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this project we studied the formation of nanoripples in calcite and InP single crystals by continuous scanning using the nanoindenter in the ambient environment and by Argon ion irradiation under ultra high vacuum conditions, respectively. Formation of tip induced nanowear ripples is studied on a freshly cleaved calcite single crystal as a function of scanning frequency and contact load of the diamond tip. At lower loads, initiation of the ripples takes place at the bottom of the surface slope at 3 Hz scanning frequency, which continue to propagate as scanning progresses. The orientation of these ripple structures is perpendicular …

Psychological Consequences Of Child Sexual Abuse And The Risk And Protective Factors Influencing These Consequences, Kelli-Lee Harford

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although a number of negative consequences of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) have been identified, research has shown that some survivors of CSA are fairly resilient and do not demonstrate these negative outcomes. The current study examined differences between sexually abused and non-abused children on a number of emotional and behavioral dimensions and on achievement. In addition, the role of factors such as intelligence, abuse severity, gender, history of previous psychological interventions and number of foster homes on outcomes in a group of 117 children between the ages of 7 and 16 with sexual abuse histories and 80 controls who did …

Comprehensive School Reform In The Wake Of No Child Left Behind: Teacher Perceptions In Dodgeland, Allyson Regina Haag

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an analysis of teacher perceptions of the implementation of their school's comprehensive school reform, and the George W. Bush administration's federal educational policy, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Data were collected by a research team as a part of the National Longitudinal Evaluation of Comprehensive School Reform (NLECSR), a project under the direction of the American Institutes for Research (AIR). The thesis is a supplemental qualitative analysis by the author who was part of the NLECSR research team from 2004 through 2005. The NLECSR had a quantitative component (called the Core Study) consisting of a …

Examining The Evolution Of Phosphagen Kinases: A Study Of A Dimeric Arginine Kinase From Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus) Eggs, Brenda Christine Held

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The phosphagen kinases are a family of enzymes that catalyze the reversible phosphorylation of specific phosphagens using ATP as the phosphate donor. The evolutionary relationships between the enzymes in this family have been studied for over 30 years and yet aspects of the relationships remain unclear. Here, arginine kinase from Strongylocentrotus purpuratus eggs was purified to homogeneity and analyzed for physical and kinetic characteristics as well as its sequence homology with other phosphagen kinases. The results indicate that dimeric arginine kinase from S. purpuratus eggs evolved from a dimeric creatine kinase after dimeric creatine kinase evolved from a monomeric arginine …

Development Of Biocompatible Multi-Drug Conjugated Nanoparticles/Smart Polymer Films For Biomedicinal Applications, Kerriann R. Greenhalgh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It has been reported by the American Burn Association that 4,000 people die every year due to burn injury. After survival of the initial trauma, the next major obstacle that must be overcome is combating bacterial infection, the primary cause of mortality for burn victims (Chapter 1). The polyacrylate nanoparticle drug delivery system was created to provide a water-based solution for delivery of highly lipophilic antimicrobials; such as N-thiolated β-lactams, however, with the success of this system for these antimicrobials, it was extended towards other, commercially-available water-soluble antimicrobials through acrylation of the drug monomers, including those with observed bacterial resistance …

The Relationships Between Students’ Perceptions Of School Climate, Attitudes Towards School, And Substance Use Among Early Adolescents, Jason D. Hangauer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the relationships between early adolescent substance use and perceptions of school climate and attitudes towards school using self-report data from a sample of 443 middle school students. The present study examined school climate and attitudes towards school comprehensively in order to identify important relationships between these classes of variables and multiple types of substance use in early adolescents. The results of the study include that the model of school climate consisting of six factors (fairness, order and discipline, parental involvement, sharing or resources, student interpersonal relations, and student-teacher relations) accurately predicted 11% of the variance in middle …

Essays On Multiple Identities And Motivated Consumption: Exploring The Role Of Identity Centrality On Self-Brand Connections, Tracy R. Harmon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three essays on the role of identity centrality in the formation of consumer self-brand connections. It contributes to a better understanding of how consumers negotiate multiple identities in the marketplace when making brand choices. This is significant as much of the research on the self-concept and consumer behavior has focused on isolated self-dimensions or have examined single consumer identities in isolation.

Theoretically grounded in identity process theory (Breakwell 1986), which suggests individuals construct their identity through multiple identity motives influencing identity centrality, enactment, and affect; this dissertation addresses these gaps by answering two specific questions: 1) …

Barium Strontium Titanate Films For Tunable Microwave And Acoustic Wave Applications, Venkataramanan Gurumurthy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The composition-dependent Curie temperature and bias-dependant dielectric permittivity of Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) makes it very attractive for tunable application in the RF/Microwave regime. In this research work, the performance of BST varactors fabricated on the conventional Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si bottom electrode stack were compared with those fabricated using chemical vapor deposited Nanocrystalline Diamond (NCD) as the diffusion barrier layer instead of SiO2. The varactors fabricated on NCD films displayed much better symmetry in capacitance-voltage behavior and better overall quality factors than varactors fabricated on SiO2. The improvement in performance can be attributed to existence of stable interfaces in the devices fabricated …

A Gis-Based Inventory Of Terrestrial Caves In West-Central Florida: Implications On Sensitivity, Disturbance, Ownership, And Management Priority A Gis-Based Inventory Of Terrestrial Caves In West-Central Florida: Implications On Sensitivity, Disturbance, Ownership, And Management Priority, Grant L. Harley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Active cave management, which represents any continuous action to conserve, restore, or protect a cave environment, is virtually non-existent in west-central Florida. This study focuses on developing an inventory to rank terrestrial caves in west-central Florida by management priority. A GIS-based cave inventory system, including a cave sensitivity index and cave disturbance index, were used as a tool to gain an understanding of the management priority of west-central Florida caves. The inventory was applied to 36 terrestrial caves in west-central Florida, which demonstrated a wide range of sensitivity and disturbance. The results show that by relying solely on sensitivity and …

Marriage, Sin And The Community In The Register Of John Chandler, Dean Of Salisbury 1404-17, Byron J. Hartsfield

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Marriage is a subject of great interest to the social historian. However, the marriage of the average medieval English villager is very poorly documented, as it bears little obvious relationship to the great affairs of state. Searching for information on such difficult subjects, many social historians have recently turned to legal records, learning to sift them for the intimate details of daily life. The Register of John Chandler, Dean of Salisbury 1404-17 preserves a rich variety of cases presented to the church courts of early fifteenth-century Salisbury. The questmen, selected from the most respectable men of each village, presented to …

Le Christianisme « Marginal » Chez Chrétien De Troyes: L’Hérésie Dans Perceval, Melanie Anne Hackney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Our perception of the Holy Grail is, for the most part, the result of orthodox views that have dominated literary interpretation. However, the first appearance of the Holy Grail in literature does not conform to the orthodox rules and traditions. In fact, the narrative of Perceval is filled with evidence that points to a very different form of Christianity, one that would have been considered heretical at the time that Chrétien de Troyes was writing it. The twelfth century in France is often called the "Golden Age" of heresies. As Manichaeism and Bogolism swept through the country, they gave birth …

Implementing Differentiated Instruction In Urban, Title I Schools: Effects Of Facilitated Support Groups And Program Fidelity On Student Achievement, Deborah W. Hellman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study presents the results of a mixed methodology study and pilot that investigated the effects of facilitated teacher support groups and differentiated instruction on student achievement at two urban, Title I middle schools. Both general education and students with special needs being served in a collaborative co-taught setting were included in the study. Implications for research to practice and effective inclusive strategies were addressed and the field-tested Differentiated Instruction: Fidelity Implementation Tool (DI: FIT) used to assess teacher fidelity is included. During the first year, the principal investigator developed and field-tested the DI: FIT observation tool, field-tested a facilitated …

The Effectiveness And User Perception Of 3-Dimensional Digital Human Anatomy In An Online Undergraduate Anatomy Laboratory, Amy Joanne Hilbelink

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of implementing desktop 3-dimensional (3D) stereo images of human anatomy into an undergraduate human anatomy distance laboratory. User perceptions of 2D and 3D images were gathered via questionnaire in order to determine ease of use and level of satisfaction associated with the 3D software in the online learning environment. Mayer's (2001, p. 184) principles of design were used to develop the study materials that consisted of PowerPoint presentations and AVI files accessed via Blackboard. The research design employed a mixed-methods approach. Volunteers each were administered a demographic survey and …

Mathematical Techniques For The Estimation Of The Diffusion Coefficient And Elimination Constant Of Agents In Subcutaneous Tissue, Lawrence T. Hersh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this work was to develop methods to estimate the diffusion coefficient and elimination constant for dexamethasone in subcutaneous tissue. Solutions to the diffusion equation were found for different conditions relevant to implantation and injection. These solutions were then used as models for measured autoradiography data where the unknown model parameters were the diffusion coefficient and the elimination constant. The diffusion coefficient and elimination constant were then estimated by curve fitting the measured data to these models. Having these estimates would be of practical importance since inflammation surrounding implantable glucose sensors may be controlled through local release of …

A Paradox Of Diversity: Billions Invested, But Women Still Leave, Rebekah S. Heppner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 2005, women made up 46.4 percent of the United States labor force but only 1.6 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs (Catalyst 2006). Although gains have been made since the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, there is clearly something stopping women from equal representation at the top. Since the late 1980s, businesses have spent billions of dollars on initiatives designed to assist them in dealing with the anticipated increase in the "diversity" of their workplaces (Lubove 1997; Stodghill II 1996; Johnston and Packer 1987). Is there potential for diversity initiatives to help women conquer the "glass ceiling?" …

Numerical Analysis Of Heat Transfer During Jet Impingement On Curved Surfaces, Cesar F. Hernandez-Ontiveros

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The flow structure and convective heat transfer behavior of a free liquid jet ejecting from a round nozzle impinging vertically on a hemispherical solid plate and a slot nozzle impinging vertically on a cylindrical curved plate have been studied using a numerical analysis approach. The simulation model incorporated the entire fluid region and the solid hemisphere or curved plate. Solution was done for both isothermal and constant heat flux boundary conditions at the inner surface of the hemispherical plate and the constant heat flux boundary condition at the inner surface of the cylindrical shaped plate. Computations for the round nozzle …

Development Of A Method To Determine Vapor Pressure Data Of Low Volatile Chemicals From A Knudsen Effusion Technique, Andrew R. Harshman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Vapor pressure data are vital to understanding impacts that substances, specifically pesticides, may exert on the environment. They enter into atmospheric deposition models for such chemicals which determine the fate and transport of these species in the environment. At normal application temperatures (i.e. room temperature) the vapor pressures of many of these chemicals are too low to be determined by conventional means. An isothermal Knudsen effusion technique was designed and developed in our laboratory for such measurements. The effusion mass as a function of time is measured in our technique using a thickness shear mode (TSM) acoustic wave sensor, which …