Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 56 pages. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The increasing need for low-power computing devices has led to the efforts to optimize power in all the components of a system. It is possible to achieve significant power optimization at the software level through instruction reordering during the compilation phase. In this thesis, we have designed and implemented a novel instruction scheduling technique, called FD-ISLP, aimed at reducing the software power consumption. In the proposed approach for instruction scheduling, we modify the force-directed scheduling technique used in high-level synthesis of VLSI circuits to derive a latency-constrained algorithm that reorders the instructions in a basic block of assembly code in application software to reduce power consumption due to its execution. The scheduling algorithm takes the data dependency graph (DDG) for a given basic block and a power dissipation table (PDT), which is generated by characterizing the instruction set architecture. / ABSTRACT: We model power, commonly referred to as software power in literature, as a force to be minimized by relating the inter-instruction power cost as the spring constant,k,and the change in instruction probability as the displacement,x, in the force equation f = k * x. The salient feature of our algorithm is that it accounts for the global effect of any tentative scheduling decision, which avoids a solution being trapped in a local minima. The power estimates are obtained through using a tool set, called Simple-Power. Experimental results indicate that our technique accounts for an average of 12.68 % savings in power consumption over the original source code for the selected benchmark programs. / 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 59 pages. / Thesis (M.S.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: Dispensed organic polymer optical waveguides suitable for single-mode operation were recently fabricated. Different dispensing pressures, polymers, and dispensing tips were used in the drawing method. The waveguides were measured to be approximately 16[mu] wide and 0.8[mu] tall. This is significantly smaller than previously reported dimensions of 300[mu] x 3.5[mu] waveguides fabricated with a similar dispensed polymer method. The waveguides were also found to be suitable for single-mode operation through a series of approximate calculations . This is also something previously not achieved with the larger waveguides. This novel approach to waveguide fabrication could reduce the expense and time of creating single mode waveguides for rapid development applications. It will also allow the waveguides to be fabricated to be flexible as well as doped to be active devices. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

The phenomenon of place has always been a key issue of inquiry throughout theoretical discourse in relation to architecture and urban planning. To comprehend such a phenomenon, one must begin to understand how to concretize the factors that can be used to create such a meaningful environment. With respect to such a topic, what becomes of interest are the four primary elements that come together to illustrate how the structure and spirit of place are defined. Space, character, orientation, and identification are the elements that begin to provide such a definition. Ever since the end of the Second World War, American development patterns have been unaccommodating in an effort to cultivate place within our society. The trends in mainstream suburban retail and residential development along with unorganized zoning practices have all but ceased this phenomenon from occurring. Such behavior has taken the once genuine, collective, unifying concept of the main-street, and has splintered it into independent development patterns which are disorganized and disjointed. In light of this plaguing issue, suburban communities in today's society lack elements that foster identity and character, therefore stifling place from being created. This thesis will begin by exploring the place theory according to Christian Norberg-Schulz, providing an understanding of how the primary elements of place culminate to define its spirit and structure, and the study of the types of neighborhoods that possess and lack a sense of place and the means by which they do so. These efforts will ultimately work to establish a framework on how a sense of place can be reintroduced within today's society. The findings of this thesis will ultimately culminate in a project which will bring together prominent, fragmented developments that currently sit in a disorganized and disoriented portion of Tampa. Such developments have been burdened by isolation rather than be welcomed through integration. The vehicle used to unify these fragments will be a communal and shared place of transition, also known as an integrated district center, designed to accommodate those who reside, commute, and visit. This center will also work to illustrate the area as a defined place. It is only by means of coming in contact with methods that define and curtail place to seek the way in which it needs to be restored. In doing so, society shall grant a person pride to reside, reason to commute, and interest to visit.

La peau est la première barrière de protection de l'organisme face aux agressions de l'environnement incluant notamment les radiations UV solaires, responsables de nombreux dommages sur l'ADN. Afin de prévenir l'apparition de lésions et de maintenir l'intégrité du génome, la cellule a mis en place des systèmes de protection avec la réponse pigmentaire, et de réparation avec le mécanisme du NER (nucleotide excision repair). Le NER est un mécanisme complexe et versatile, conservé au cours de l'évolution, qui repose sur l'action coordonnée d'acteurs protéiques dont les mutations conduisent à l'apparition de syndromes d'hyper-sensibilité aux UV. Ainsi, parallèlement à la régulation transcriptionnelle UV induite dépendante du facteur USF-1 (Upstream Stimulating Factor 1) des gènes clés de la pigmentation, nous avons étudié l'induction transcriptionnelle potentielle de gènes codant pour les acteurs du NER. Par une approche combinant expériences in-vivo (RT-QPCR et ChIP) et in-vitro (EMSA, luciférase essais), nous impliquons le facteur USF-1 dans l'induction transcriptionnelle de gènes codant deux acteurs des étapes de reconnaissance des lésions UV-induites par le NER. L'utilisation de souris invalidées pour le gène USF-1 confirme le modèle observé. L'ensemble de ces données obtenues au cours de ma thèse vient compléter la liste des gènes cibles du facteur de transcription USF-1 et élargit son réseau d'implication en réponse aux UV. Ces résultats suggèrent un rôle potentiel du facteur USF-1 dans le processus tumoral des cancers cutanés UV-induits.

Professional research project (Au.D.)--University of South Florida, 2000. / Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 22 pages. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to investigate further the characteristics of hearing loss in ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunted hydrocephalus. Twelve (VP) shunt treated hydrocephalus children participated in this study. The etiology of the hydrocephalus was either intraventricular hemorrhage or spina bifida. A recent neurological examination reported the shunt to be patent in each child. Audiometric examination included pure tone air conduction thresholds, tympanometry, contralateral and ipsilateral acoustic reflex thresholds and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE&softsign;s). A unilateral, high frequency, sensorineural hearing loss was found in the ear ipsilateral to shunt placement in 10 (83%) of the 12 shunt treated hydrocephalic children. No hearing loss was observed the ear contralateral to shunt placement. Based on the pure tone findings coupled with the decrease in DPOAE amplitude in the shunt ear, the hearing loss appears to be cochlear in nature. It is hypothesized that the cochlear hydrodynamics are disrupted as the result of fluid pressure reduction within the perilymph being transmitted via a patent cochlear aqueduct as a reaction to the reduction of CSF via a patent shunt. In addition, a concomitant brainstem involvement is evidenced in the ART pattern possibly produced by the paten shunt draining CSF from the subdural space resulting in cranial base hypoplasia. / 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 139 pages. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of South Florida, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: Non-recurring congestion caused by incidents is a major source of traffic delay in freeway systems. With the objective of reducing these traffic delays, traffic operation managers are focusing on detecting incident conditions and dispatching emergency management teams to the scene quickly. During the past few decades, a few number of conventional algorithms and artificial neural network models were proposed to automate the process of detecting incident conditions on freeways. These algorithms and models, known as automatic incident detection methods (AIDM), have experienced a varying degree of detection capability. Of these AIDMs, artificial neural network-based approaches have illustrated better detection performance than the conventional approaches such as filtering techniques, decision tree method, and catastrophe theory. So far, a few neural network model structures have been tested to detect freeway incidents. / ABSTRACT: Since the freeway incidents directly affect the freeway traffic flow, majority of these models have used only traffic flow variables as model inputs. However, changes in traffic flow may also be stimulated by the other features (e.g., freeway geometry) to a greater extent. Many AIDMs have also used a conventional detection rate as a performance measure to assess the detection capability. Yet the principle function of incident detection model, which is to identify whether an incident condition exists for a given traffic pattern, is not measured in its entirety by this conventional measure. In this study, new input feature sets, including freeway geometry information, were proposed for freeway incident detection. Sixteen different artificial neural network (ANN) models based on feed forward and recurrent architectures with a variety of input feature sets were developed. ANN models with single and double hidden layers were investigated for incident detection performance. / ABSTRACT: A modified form of a conventional detection rate was introduced to capture full capability of AIDMs in detecting incident patterns in the freeway traffic flow. Results of this study suggest that double hidden layer networks are better than single hidden layer networks. The study has demonstrated the potential of ANNs to improve the reliability using double layer networks when freeway geometric information is included in the model. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Professional research project (Au.D.)--University of South Florida, 2000. / Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 48 pages. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The primary objective of the project was to survey recognized "experts" in the field of neurodiagnostic audiology and practicing audiologists regarding their referral criteria and referral patterns for administering an auditory brainstem response test (ABR). For purposes of this study, "expert" was defined as any recognized audiologist with at least two or more publications and/or seminarsin the field of auditory evoked potentials. / Responses of experts and practicing audiologists were compared and contrasted to establish: a) if there was a standard referral pattern; b) what, if any, were the apparent critical components of referral patterns; and, c) whether or not current practice reflected the utilization of such critical components. The survey was designed to establish whether the respondent was practicing, in what type of practice setting, and how often ABRs were performed. Specificity and sensitivity of ABR outcomes was also requested. / The survey was administered verbally, via telephone, to 3 experts and was sent via e-mail to 178 randomly selected audiologists in the United States. Of the latter 53 returned, 38 reported conducting ABRs. Thus, data analysis was reported on 38 respondents. The survey results did not reveal a consistent standard referral pattern. Critical components for referral were hypothesized based on the "expert" majority response. These include ABR referral based on the presence of: (1) asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss; (2) unilateral tinnitus; (3) positive reflex decay; and, (4) word recognition rollover. The majority of "non-expert" practitioners surveyed reported that these symptoms warranted consideration for referral, thus reflecting utilization of apparent critical components. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Professional research project (Au.D.)--University of South Florida, 2002. / Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 35 pages. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: A need has been established for aural rehabilitation (AR) sessions throughout the years. The literature reviewed here demonstrates that new hearing aid users do benefit from a structured follow-up AR program. However, this need is often not met for a variety of patient and audiologist related factors. Therefore, an AR program that could be viewed at home has been suggested. I have developed a prototype for a CD-ROM based aural rehabilitation (AR) program. Included in the program are communication and speechreading strategies, which are the most prevalent materials in AR. The instructional and interaction portions of the prototype were created to be understood by the average person. The prototype includes the use of video, graphics, and audio to support the written information and to incorporate a sense of excitement into the CD-ROM based program. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Professional research project (Au. D.)--University of South Florida, 2002. / Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 20 pages. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The modified Goodman scale, a hearing loss classification scale, is commonly used to describe audiometric findings for both children and adults (Haggard & Primus, 1999). This scale uses one or two word descriptors for hearing level categories and is based on a pure tone average (PTA), the average of hearing thresholds at 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz. Although these categories were developed from clinical and educational observations (Goodman, 1965), degree of hearing loss has not been shown to reliably predict the educational or language performance of children with hearing impairment (Martin & Clark, 1996). This study was designed to evaluate how the presentation modality (hearing loss simulation vs. using a term to describe the hearing loss using the Goodman scale) affects predictions of children&softsign;s communication difficulties in the classroom by graduate speech-language pathology students. / ABSTRACT: The perceptions of graduate speech-language pathology students were of interest because this population had not been included in earlier investigations, despite the fact that they often work with hearing-impaired children in the school systems. Three levels of hearing loss (mild, moderate, and severe) were introduced using two different presentation conditions. In one condition, a descriptive term from the Goodman scale was used to describe the hearing loss. In the other presentation conditions, a simulated hearing loss was presented to the participants. Following each presentation of each hearing loss, the participants rated the potential communication difficulty a child with that loss may have in the classroom using a questionnaire composed of nine different communication-related tasks (Appendix A). / ABSTRACT: In general, participants predicted significantly greater difficulty when presented with the simulated hearing loss, than when presented with the descriptive term for the same degree of hearing loss with a few exceptions. The results of this study indicated that the standard method of classifying hearing loss results in underestimation of the impact a hearing loss might have for a child. / 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 165 pages. / Thesis (M.A.)--University of South Florida, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The doctrine of informed consent, defined as respect for autonomy, is the tool used to govern the relationship between physicians and patients. Its framework relies on rights and duties that mark these relationships. The main purpose of informed consent is to promote human rights and dignity. Some researchers claim that informed consent has successfully replaced patients&softsign; historical predispositions to accept physicians' advice without much explicit resistance. / Although the doctrine of informed consent promotes ideals worth pursuing, a successful implementation of these ideals in practice has yet to occur. What has happened in practice is that attorneys, physicians, and hospital administrators often use consent forms mainly to protect physicians and medical facilities from liability. Consequently, ethicists, legal theorists, and physicians need to do much more to explain how human rights and human dignity relate to the practice of medicine and how the professionals can promote them in practice. / This is especially important because patients' vulnerability has increased just as the complexity and power of medical science and technology have increased. Certain health care practices can shed light on the difficulties of implementing the doctrine of informed consent and explain why it is insufficient to protect patients' rights and dignity. Defining a normal biological event as a disease, and routinely prescribing hormone drug therapy to menopausal women for all health conditions related to menopause, does not meet the standards of free informed consent. / Clinicians provide insufficient disclosure about risks related to long-term use of hormone therapies and about the absence of solid evidence to support their bias toward hormone therapies as a treatment of choice for menopause related health conditions. The contributing problem is women's failure to act as autonomous agents because they either choose not to take an active part in their own therapy or because they fear to question physicians' medical authority. To insure that patients' autonomy and free choice are a part of every physician-patient interaction, physicians and patients need actively to promote them as values that are absolutely indispensable in physicians' offices, clinics, and hospitals. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.