Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 99 pages. / Thesis (M.S.I.E.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: A Workflow is an automation of a business process. In general, it consists of processes and activities, which are represented by well-defined tasks. These include 'Office Automation,' 'Health Care' and service-oriented processes such as 'Online Reservations,' 'Online Bookstores' and 'Insurance Claims,' etc. The entities that execute these tasks are humans, application programs or database management systems. These tasks are related and dependent on one another based on business policies and rules. With rapid increases in application domains that use workflow management systems, there is a need for a framework that can be used to implement these applications. In particular, it is essential to provide a formal technique for defining a problem that can be used by various workflow software product developers. In this work, a formal framework based on finite state automata that facilitate modeling and analysis of workflows is presented. / ABSTRACT: The workflow and its specifications are modeled separately as finite state automata models. We provide a general framework for specifying control flow dependencies in the context of supervisory control theory. We also identify several properties of supervisory control theory and demonstrate their use for conducting the analysis of the workflows. / 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 117 pages. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT Current ACS guidelines recommend routine screening for cancer (ACS, 2002). Motivation to adhere to guidelines may be different for individuals with and without a family history of melanoma (Jonna, et al., 1998). Prior research examining the relationship between family history and skin cancer detection behaviors (Berwick et al., 1996; Friedman et al., 1993; Oliveria et al., 1999) have failed to utilize a theoretical framework to derive hypotheses. The purpose of the present study was to examine the utility of Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) in explaining intentions to engage in skin cancer screening (SCS) and skin self-examination (SSE). In addition, the present study explored whether PMT variables explained the relationship between having a family history of melanoma and SCS/SSE intentions. / ABSTRACT: The research design was cross-sectional with 101 participants in the positive family history group and 80 participants in the negative family history group. Using a standardized, self-report measure, participants were assessed on demographic characteristics, melanoma risk factors, PMT variables, family history, and SCS/SSE behaviors and intentions. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, chi square for categorical variables, t-tests for continuous variables, correlational analyses, and multiple regression analyses. The majority of participants (N = 181) were Caucasian (97%) and female (59%). As expected, findings indicated that greater perceived vulnerability, self-efficacy, and response efficacy were associated with greater SCS intentions (p greater or less than .0001). Additionally, greater self-efficacy and response efficacy were associated with greater SSE intention (p greater or less than .01). / ABSTRACT: Additionally, positive family history individuals reported greater perceived vulnerability, greater self-efficacy, and less perceived severity than negative family history individuals (p greater or less than .01). Individuals with a family history of melanoma also had greater SCS intentions and were more likely to have a healthcare provider who recommended SCS. Finally, perceived vulnerability and self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between group status and SCS intentions. The present study confirms and extends prior research on psychological factors associated with SCS/SSE intentions and on individuals with a family history of melanoma. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed. / 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 187 pages. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: This dissertation investigates the importance of diffusional and convective fluxes for salts in reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes. Moreover, the physical and thermodynamic factors controlling the salt permeability are analyzed. The study utilizes direct osmosis (DO) experiments and RO experiments, the later using both flat sheet and spiral wound membrane configurations. The salts considered are chlorides and acetates of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals. The equation governing the salt transport in DO experiments is derived and a phenomenon inverse to concentration polarization in RO is observed. The salt permeability in DO is equal to the salt permeability calculated for the valid cases of the used RO models. DO is suggested as an alternative method in characterizing the salt transport in membranes. The method can be more advantageous than RO due to the lower costs and simplicity of the apparatus. / ABSTRACT: The models used to calculate the salt transport parameters in RO experiments are Spiegler-Kedem model, which considers both diffusion and convection of salt, and Kimura-Sourirajan model, which considers only diffusion of salt. It is found that diffusion is the dominant mechanism of transport in both RO and NF membranes. The percentage of the salt diffusional flux of the total flux is highest for seawater membranes and it is approximately equal for brackish water and nanofiltration membranes. The salt diffusive flux contribute more to the total flux for the 1:2 salts than for 1:1 salts. The two RO models are found equivalent in determining the salt permeability for only the seawater membranes. The Kimura-Sourirajan model overestimates the salt permeability coefficient for salts with rejection coefficient lower than 86%. / ABSTRACT: The permeation rates for studied salts follow the lyotropic series regardless the membrane type (RO or NF), the membrane configuration (flat sheet or spiral wound), the process (DO or RO), or the models used for the calculations. This order of salt permeability is explained by the hydration of the cations, which is quantified by the enthalpy and entropy of hydration. The relative free energy theory can also be used to predict the salt permeability in a membrane based on preliminary data. / 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.S.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: Research and experience has shown that vegetable oil can be processed, by transesterification, into a useable fuel for compression ignition engines. Earlier research examined using straight vegetable oil as a fuel, but found it to cause detrimental engine problems. Trial and error has shown that heating the vegetable oil prior to injection, is a viable option. A diesel vehicle engine was operated for over 188 hours or approximately 7,000 miles, using waste cooking oil as fuel. The longevity of the vehicle engine was limited by an undetermined engine failure. Using stationary testing, with no engine load and various power settings, engine emissions of several engines operating on waste cooking oil were compared to emissions from two other fuels, diesel and Biodiesel, and found to be very positive. Waste vegetable oil (WVO) had lower overall emissions than diesel and lower levels of nitrogen species than Biodiesel. / ABSTRACT: Agricultural yield predictions estimate that currently only 5% and at most 20% of all diesel fuel needs can be met with vegetable oil. Currently WVO is a disposal problem. It is primarily used as a feedstock. / ABSTRACT: WVO is not a commodity and has disposal fees associated with it. If WVO is used as a fuel, it would not only provide another source for disposal, but it may also increase the value of WVO making it a commodity instead of a disposal burden. / 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 149 pages. / Thesis (M.A.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: Who cares about who owns online courses? Nobody, because that is not what the issue is really about. Ownership is an emotional issue, but controlling the rights of a copyrightable work is tangible and logical. The important question to answer is not who owns online courses, but who controls the rights of any copyrightable work. For universities and faculty members, getting over the emotional issues and down to the foundation of what is truly at stake is of major concern. While it is nearly impossible to create qualitative guidelines for copyright policies and/or contracts, it is eminently possible to examine existing policies and contracts and relate how a handful of universities are handling copyright and intellectual property issues pertaining to online courses. / ABSTRACT: The purpose of this thesis is to provide a starting point for this complex transaction in the form of a resource tool that includes some basic background about copyright law, relevant case law related to "work-for-hire," and relevant academic freedom issues. The original work of this thesis is the creation of a tool, which reviews of a sampling of university policies pertaining to online copyright issues and ownership. Accordingly, the contribution this thesis makes to the understanding and clarification of universities policies related to online material copyright ownership will be important for faculty members and universities in two ways. First, it will help others develop better online copyright policies based on tangible issues rather than emotional ones. Second, this thesis can be a basis for others to build upon for future research on this important topic. / 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 93 pages. / Thesis (M.S.E.E.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is a multi-carrier modulation scheme that provides efficient bandwidth utilization and robustness against time dispersive channels. This thesis deals with self-interference, or the corruption of desired signal by itself, in OFDM systems. Inter-symbol Interference (ISI) and Inter-carrier Interference (ICI) are two types of self-interference in OFDM systems. Cyclic prefix is one method to prevent the ISI which is the interference of the echoes of a transmitted signal with the original transmitted signal. The length of cyclic prefix required to remove ISI depends on the channel conditions, and usually it is chosen according to the worst case channel scenario. Methods to find the required parameters to adapt the length of the cyclic prefix to the instantaneous channel conditions are investigated. / ABSTRACT: Frequency selectivity of the channel is extracted from the instantaneous channel frequency estimates and methods to estimate related parameters, e.g. coherence bandwidth and Root-mean-squared (RMS) delay spread, are given. These parameters can also be used to better utilize the available resources in wireless systems through transmitter and receiver adaptation. Another common self-interference in OFDM systems is the ICI which is the power leakage among different sub-carriers that degrades the performance of both symbol detection and channel estimation. Two new methods are proposed to reduce the effect of ICI in symbol detection and in channel estimation. The first method uses the colored nature of ICI to cancel it in order to decrease the error rate in the detection of transmitted symbols, and the second method reduces the effect of ICI in channel estimation by jointly estimating the channel and frequency offset, a major source of ICI. / 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 89 pages. / Thesis (M.A.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The 1920s land boom in Florida produced a wide variety of characters. Among the most important, but lesser known, of those was David Paul Davis. Davis was born in November 1885 in Green Cove Springs, Florida. His family moved to Tampa in 1895, where he attended school and held a number of different jobs. He left Tampa in 1908 and reappeared in Jacksonville in 1915. That same year, in Jacksonville, he married Marjorie H. Merritt. The young couple moved to Miami in 1920, where Davis began to sell real estate. He became quite adept, developing a number of subdivisions in the Buena Vista section of the city. He made a considerable fortune in Miami, but lost his wife, who died while giving birth to their second child. Davis moved back to Tampa in 1924 and began work on the largest development on Florida's west coast. That development, Davis Islands, made him wildly rich and nationally famous. / ABSTRACT: He followed up Davis Islands with Davis Shores, a subdivision in St. Augustine that Davis envisioned as being twice the size of Davis Islands. The Florida land boom collapsed before Davis could complete Davis Shores. In an attempt to keep the St. Augustine project afloat, Davis sold his Tampa development in August 1926. The effort was in vain and Davis slipped further into debt. He died under mysterious circumstances while en route to Europe aboard a luxury liner on October 12, 1926. / 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 71 pages. / Thesis (M.S.I.E.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: Due to the degree of complexity related to measuring the advantage of establishing Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) systems, literature generally stops short of modeling an all-inclusive set of benefits of the system. In this research, a model that incorporates the impact on both the users and the society as a whole and evaluates the financial benefits over the lifespan of the ETC investment is developed. Most of the values for the parameters used for calculating the benefits are taken from Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and from similar studies conducted by transportation agencies, which is the setting that has motivated the current research. These parameters are national averages and not region specific. The model will serve as a decision making tool to determine the number of ETC lanes over the manual and automatic lanes. / ABSTRACT: The model has been used for toll plazas with different number of lanes to study the financial value of the benefits due to the ETC deployment. It is also used to study the effect of the traffic flow on the total benefits and recommendation has been made with respect to the time for the ETC deployment. / 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 222 pages. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: This dissertation presents a knowledge-guided expert system that is capable of applying routinesfor multispectral analysis, (un)supervised clustering, and basic image processing to automatically detect and segment brain tissue abnormalities, and then label glioblastoma-multiforme brain tumors in magnetic resonance volumes of the human brain. The magnetic resonance images used here consist of three feature images (T1-weighted, proton density, T2-weighted) and the system is designed to be independent of a particular scanning protocol. Separate, but contiguous 2D slices in the transaxial plane form a brain volume. This allows complete tumor volumes to be measured and if repeat scans are taken over time, the system may be used to monitor tumor response to past treatments and aid in the planning of future treatment. Furthermore, once processing begins, the system is completely unsupervised, thus avoiding the problems of human variability found in supervised segmentation efforts.Each slice is initially segmented by an unsupervised fuzzy c-means algorithm. The segmented image, along with its respective cluster centers, is then analyzed by a rule-based expert system which iteratively locates tissues of interest based on the hierarchy of cluster centers in feature space. Model-based recognition techniques analyze tissues of interest by searching for expected characteristics and comparing those found with previously defined qualitative models. Normal/abnormal classification is performed through a default reasoning method: if a significant model deviation is found, the slice is considered abnormal. Otherwise, the slice is considered normal. Tumor segmentation in abnormal slices begins with multispectral histogram analysis and thresholding to separate suspected tumor from the rest of the intra-cranial region. The tumor is then refined with a variant of seed growing, followed by spatial component analysis and a final thresholding step to remove non-tumor pixels.The knowledge used in this system was extracted from general principles of magnetic resonance imaging, the distributions of individual voxels and cluster centers in feature space, and anatomical information. Knowledge is used both for single slice processing and information propagation between slices. A standard rule-based expert system shell (CLIPS) was modified to include the multispectral analysis, clustering, and image processing tools.A total of sixty-three volume data sets from eight patients and seventeen volunteers (four with and thirteen without gadolinium enhancement) were acquired from a single magnetic resonance imaging system with slightly varying scanning protocols were available for processing. All volumes were processed for normal/abnormal classification. Tumor segmentation was performed on the abnormal slices and the results were compared with a radiologist-labeled ground truth' tumor volume and tumor segmentations created by applying supervised k-nearest neighbors, a partially supervised variant of the fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm, and a commercially available seed growing package. The results of the developed automatic system generally correspond well to ground truth, both on a per slice basis and more importantly in tracking total tumor volume during treatment over time. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Professional research project (Au.D.)--University of South Florida, 2001. / Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 29 pages. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The primary objective of the project was to survey audiologists in clinical practice setting to determine the amount of time taken to perform various audiologic tests using Current Procedural Terminology, (CPT) codes to define these tests and if these CPT codes were felt to be adequate. Audiologists were also asked to respond regarding possible impact and reimbursement changes in their clinical practices related to managed care. Responses of audiologists were analyzed to determine: a) adequacy of CPT codes; b)average time to perform various audiologic tests; c) impact managed care onclinical practice; and d) changes in reimbursement as a result of managed care. / The survey was designed to determine the type of work setting, typical job duty, average monthly caseload and hours per day spent on patient care for each respondent. The survey with a cover letter explaining the purpose was mailed to 93 audiologists in clinical setting in the state of Florida. Five were returned undeliverable, and 39 of the remaining 88 were returned either completed or partially completed. The survey results revealed over 71% of the audiologists felt the current CPT codes were adequate. Time spent performing traditional audiologic tests, such as comprehensive audiometric evaluations and impedance testing, was fairly consistent. / Greater time variability occurred in tests used to determine vestibular function. Over three-quarters of the respondents believed managed care has had a negative impact on their clinical practices, while 11% believe they have been positively impacted. Approximately 82% of the audiologists have had reductions in reimbursement as a result of managed care, while 10% have seen no change and 5% have enjoyed slightly greater reimbursement. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.