Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 100 pages. / Thesis (M.S.Ch.E.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: Silicon Carbide has been a semiconductor material of interest as a high power and temperature replacement for Silicon (Si) in harsh environments due to the higher thermal conductivity and chemical stability of SiC. The cost, however, to produce this material is quite high. There are also defects in the substrate material (SiC) that penetrate into the active devices layers which are known device killers. Silicon is a material that provides a low cost substrate material for epitaxial growth and does not contain the defects that SiC substrates have. However, the large ( 22%) lattice mismatch between Si and SiC creates dislocations at the SiC/Si interface and defects in the SiC epitaxial layer. These defects result in high leakage currents in 3C-SiC/Si devices. The main focus of the this research was to reduce or eliminate these defects using novel Si substrates. / ABSTRACT: First a 3C-SiC on Si baseline process was developed under atmospheric pressure conditions consisting of 3 steps - an in-situ hydrogen etch to remove the native oxide, a carbonization step to convert the Si surface to SiC, and finally a growth step to thicken the SiC layer to the desired value. This process was then modified to establish a high-quality, low-pressure 3C-SiC CVD growth process. This LPCVD process was then used to grow 3C-SiC on numerous novel Si substrates, including porous Si, porous 3C-SiC "free-standing" substrates and SOI substrates which consisted on thin Si films bonded to poly-crystalline SiC plates. The results of these experiments are presented along with suggestions for future work so that device-grade films of 3C-SiC can be developed for various applications. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 76 pages. / Thesis (M.A.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The present study examined the effects of perceptions of fairness, prejudice and collective self-interest on the affirmative action attitudes of 85 White undergraduate students. Participants were classified as non-racists, modern racists or old-fashioned racists based on their scores on the Implicit Association Test and Attitudes Toward Blacks scale. In the first phase of the study, participants read affirmative action information preceded by either high or low attention instructions. In the second phase, fairness, status of position and race of the target of an affirmative action plan were manipulated using vignettes. No significant differences were found in the first phase of the study. In the second phase, it was found that when the plan was unfair and the target Black, participants preferred plans for low status positions to plans for high status positions. / ABSTRACT: This finding was consistent with the idea that fairness, race and collective self-interest are related to affirmative action attitudes. However, contrary to the initial hypotheses, these effects did not interact with level of prejudice. Possible reasons for the null results regarding prejudice were discussed. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; / Thesis (EDS)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: Congruence Among Mathematics Skills Used On The Job By Practical Nurses vs. The Prerequisite Skills Required For Admission Into The Practical Nursing Program G.H. Clary ABSTRACT The standard for evaluating a student&softsign;s mathematic ability (grade level) for admission to many vocational-technical programs is through the administration of the Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE). There has come forth a concern from vocational educators, that students entering programs may not be prepared for the mathematics required by the curriculum, even though the student has met the criteria for entry as established by the state curriculum frameworks as evidenced by their scores on a TABE which had recently been administered. Furthermore, questions raised among instructional, administrative and guidance personnel about the congruence of math skills required on the TABE vs. / ABSTRACT: those used by practical nurses on the job supported the need for a study to determine the congruence of these sets of mathematics skills. Using the OMRA inventory developed by David Pucel, the mathematic operations required for job related math applications are indicated by samples collected from active nursing practitioners. Three analysis teams consisting of practical nurses and math experts were established and determined the math operations required for solving the job related math samples collected. The math skills tested by the TABE were then compared to the job related math samples. With the math operations of the variables ranked, the Spearman Rank Correlation was used to evaluate the correlation across the TABE and the mathematic job requirements of practical nursing. Based on 19 math operations identified from the Practical Nursing job math requirements, the results showed that there was little correlation among these two variables (r=. 4974). / ABSTRACT: Keywords: Practical Nursing, Mathematics Skills, Postsecondary Vocational Education, TABE. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 90 pages, / Thesis (M.A.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: English language learners are traditionally behind in academics such as reading, math and science. Hispanics, who make up the vast majority of English language learners, tend to not enroll in pre-school or higher education, have higher dropout rates and as adults earn less than whites. Common instructional strategies used in public schools are not meeting the needs of these students. The field of TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) has typically offered a wide variety of poorly defined teaching strategies that are not based on empirical research. Within public schools, assessment tends to serve the purpose of qualifying students for ESOL services rather than being used to guide instruction. / ABSTRACT: The present study examined using the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS) with three English language learners in an elementary public school setting to discern its usefulness for teachers and students. Results showed that the ABLLS could be used for English language learners, and teachers generally liked the assessment information, although the current assessment may be too lengthy and time intensive to be practical for regular education settings. Also, it did not appear that reviewing the ABLLS assessment had much effect on teacher behavior in terms of changes in instructional strategies used for the three students, although teachers did indicate that they would target different skills as a result of viewing the assessment. Suggestions are made for developing a modified version of the ABLLS for use with English language learners. / ABSTRACT: Possible trends in student data are examined, as well as possible teaching strategies that may be suggested by the ABLLS. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 64 pages. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: Predicting breast tissue deformation is of great significance in several medical applications such as surgery, biopsy and imaging. In breast surgery, surgeons are often concerned with a specific portion of the breast, e.g., tumor, which must be located accurately beforehand. Also clinically it is important for combining the information provided by images from several modalities or at different times, for the planning and guidance of interventions. Multi-modality imaging of the breast obtained by mammography, MRI and PET is thought to be best achieved through some form of data fusion technique. However, images taken by these various techniques are often obtained under entirely different tissue configurations, compression, orientation or body position. In these cases some form of spatial transformation of image data from one geometry to another is required such that the tissues are represented in an equivalent configuration. / ABSTRACT: We constructed the 3D biomechanical models for this purpose using Finite Element Methods (FEM). The models were based on phantom and patient MRIs and could be used to model the interrelation between different types of tissue by applying displacements of forces and to register multimodality medical images. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 120 pages. / Thesis (M.S.M.E.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The goal of this thesis is the kinematic analysis and evaluation of wheelchair mounted robotic arms. More specifically, to address the kinematics of the wheelchair mounted robotic arm (WMRA) with respect to its ability to reach positions commonly required by an assistive device in activities of daily living (ADL). A robotic manipulator attached to a power wheelchair could enhance the manipulation functions of an individual with a disability. In this thesis, a procedure is developed for the kinematic analysis and evaluation of a wheelchair mounted robotic arm. In addition to developing the analytical procedure, the manipulator is evaluated, and design recommendations and insights are obtained. At this time there exist both commercially-available and industrial wheelchair mountable robotic manipulators. The commercially-available manipulators (of which two will be addressed in this research) have been designed specifically for use in rehabilitation robotics. / ABSTRACT: In contrast, industrial robotic manipulators are designed for speed, precision, and endurance. These traits are not required in assistive robots and can actually be dangerous to the operator if mounted onto a wheelchair. Manipulators to be used as WMRAs must be designed specifically for assistive functions in order to be utilized as a wheelchair mounted robotic arm. In an effort to evaluate two commercial manipulators, the procedure for kinematic analysis is applied to each manipulator. Design recommendations with regard to each device are obtained. This method will benefit the researchers by providing a standardized procedure for kinematic analysis of WMRAs that is capable of evaluating independent designs. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 78 pages. / Thesis (M.S.M.E.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: This thesis focuses on identifying hard material pairs with low roughness, high coefficient of static friction, high wear resistance and high modulus of elasticity, suitable for sliding in dry friction conditions under a normal load. A wide range of materials including various steels, various coatings on tool steels deposited by various deposition techniques and different ceramics were examined and considered for tribological testing. Procedures and sequences were developed for conducting tribology tests on the material pairs. High endurance - low cycle tests were conducted and based on the performance of material pairs with respect to friction, wear and surface roughness a small set of material pairs and coatings was selected for further testing. High endurance - high cycle tests were performed on an additional seventeen pairs of material pairs selected for long term sliding. / ABSTRACT: Material pairs were selected for low endurance tests based on high corrosion resistance along with all the above specified design parameters. Low endurance tests were conducted to identify material pairs sliding for a short distance in humid environments. Results are tabulated and pictures of the material pairs after wear tests are presented. It was found that four material pairs for high endurance applications and two pairs for the low endurance applications performed very well in regard of design specifications. These material pairs find a major application in friction clamps of an Inchworm motor resulting in enhancement of force output of the motor. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 39 pages. / Thesis (M.A.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: In a distributed learning strategy, study time is spread across multiple study sessions, without increasing total study time. The benefits of distributed practice, also known as spaced practice, on learning of rote-memory tasks (e.g., spelling, addition, and cued-recall of word pairs) are well known. However, few researchers have looked at the effects of distributed practice on the learning of abstract materials (e.g., physics problems, logical deductions, and algebra). We examined the effects of distributed practice on learning the abstract task of matrix multiplication. In Experiment 1, we taught participants matrix multiplication in either a massed (i.e., 0-day interstudy gap), or distributed (i.e., 7-day interstudy gap) format and tested students at 2 or 21 days after completion of the last study session. Results showed no significant differences between the massed and spaced groups. / ABSTRACT: However, when only those participants scoring 80% or greater on study session one were included in the analyses, a benefit of spacing was seen at the 21-day retention interval. Although not statistically significant, this leads us to believe that spacing does have benefits for abstract learning when the task is mastered initially. Experiment 2 looked at overlearning as another learning strategy. In overlearning, all study takes place in one session, but participants continue to study after mastery of material has been achieved. It is commonly accepted that overlearning is a beneficial strategy, but it is unknown whether the benefits are worth the time invested. We assessed the effects of two levels of massed practice to gauge the benefits of overlearning on long-term retention. Participants completed either 2 or 8 matrix multiplication problems (i.e., low or high massing, respectively) and were tested 1 or 4 weeks after the study session. / ABSTRACT: Results showed a benefit of high massing when analyses included participants who mastered the material (i.e., scored over 50%) during the study session. However, this higher degree of learning was not particularly efficient, because this latter result suggests that overlearning may not be worth the time invested. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 57 pages. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: A clinical trial is defined as a study conducted on a group of patients to determine the effect of a treatment. Assignment of patients to clinical trials is a data and labor intensive task. Usually, medical personnel manually check the eligibility of a patient for a clinical trial based on the patient's medical history and current medical condition. According to studies, most clinical trials are under-enrolled which negatively affects their effectiveness. We have developed web-based agents that can test the eligibility of patients for many clinical trials at once. We have tested various heuristics for optimizing cost and data entry needed in assigning patients to clinical trials. Testing eligibility of a patient for many clinical trials is only feasible if it is cost and data entry efficient. Agents with different heuristics were then tested on data from current breast cancer patients at the Moffitt Cancer Center. / ABSTRACT: Results with different heuristics are compared with each other and with that of the clinicians. It is shown that cost savings are possible in clinical trial assignment. Also, less data entry is needed when probabilistic agents are used to reorder questions. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Includes vita. / Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 160 pages. / Thesis (PH.D.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: This study describes in-class and home literacy events that occur when students work in groups to create web pages as evidence of learning the academic content that was presented within a fourth grade classroom. The constructivist approach to learning was the underpinning idea examined as well as its connection to technology and group work. Data were collected in a variety of ways to obtain a picture, as comprehensive as possible, of the oral, listening, viewing, and written on-task communication and interactions that occurred. As the in-class and home literacy events emerged, the competencies and strategies that students used while interacting with traditional text were uncovered. These events encompass the strategies that the students used after they encountered the text and had to modify it for one reason or another. / ABSTRACT: These literacy events illustrate how the Internet supports reading and writing in the elementary classroom when it is utilized as a tool for promoting instruction. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.