Digital Commons Network^™

Fostering Preservice And In-Service Ela Teachers’ Digital Practices For Addressing Climate Change, Richard Beach, George Boggs, Jill Castek, James Damico, Alexandra Panos, Renee Spellman, Nance Wilson

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

This report presents research on preservice (PST) and in-service teachers acquiring digital practices for addressing climate change related to knowing how to employ digital practices for studying visual representations of climate change and engaging students in critiquing online information about climate change. Study 1 examined PSTs understanding of climate change through participation in visiting a laboratory involving scientific study of ecological systems to interact with scientists, collect digital artifacts, and create a virtual field trip using these artifacts for instructional purposes. Study 2 involved PSTs and in-service teachers responding critically to the NASA Climate Change website, identifying digital literacies their …

Race(Ing) Towards Legal Literacy For (Im)Migration Amidst Covid-19, Patriann Smith, S. Joel Warrican

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

Historically and contemporarily, immigration laws have disproportionately affected immigrant faculty and students of color because they often inadvertently function as racial policy. (Critical) legal literacy enacted via a bottom-up approach can help to address such laws. Higher education institutions, organizations, labor unions and associations are uniquely positioned to use critical legal literacy as a tool of advocacy for immigrant faculty and students of color amidst the adverse effects of COVID-19.

Tuberculosis Clinical Presentation And Treatment Outcomes In Pregnancy: A Prospective Cohort Study, Brittney J. Van De Water, Meredith B. Brooks, Chuan-Chin Huang, Letizia Trevisi, Leonid Lecca, Carmen Contreras, Jerome Galea, Roger Calderon, Rosa Yataco, Megan Murray, Mercedes C. Becerra

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: There is limited research to guide TB treatment specifically in pregnant women and few studies have described the presentation of TB in pregnant women. We aimed to understand TB presentation and treatment outcomes in pregnant women in a low HIV burden setting. We describe a cohort of women of childbearing age treated for TB disease in Lima, Peru, and compare clinical presentation and treatment outcomes among pregnant and non-pregnant women between 2009 and 2012, including 36 pregnant women.

Methods: This is a prospective cohort study. Subjects were recruited from across 106 public health centers in Lima, Peru. Baseline demographic, …

Impact Of Mental Disorders On Active Tb Treatment Outcomes: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, G. Lee, J. Scuffell, J. T. Galea, S. S. Shin, E. Magill, E. Jaramillo, A. C. Sweetland

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Comorbid mental disorders in patients with TB may exacerbate TB treatment outcomes. We systematically reviewed current evidence on the association between mental disorders and TB outcomes.

Methods: We searched eight databases for studies published from 1990 to 2018 that compared TB treatment outcomes among patients with and without mental disorders. We excluded studies that did not systematically assess mental disorders and studies limited to substance use. We extracted study and patient characteristics and effect measures and performed a meta-analysis using random-effects models to calculate summary odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: Of 7687 studies identified, 10 …

Parent-Led, Stepped-Care Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy For Youth With Autism And Co-Occurring Anxiety: Study Rationale And Method, Ana C. Ramirez, Stacey C. Grebe, Morgan M. Mcneel, Danica L. Limon, Sophie C. Schneider, Leandra N. Berry, Robin P. Goin-Kochel, Sandra L. Cepeda, Robert G. Voigt, Alison Salloum, Eric A. Storch

Social Work Faculty Publications

Anxiety disorders affect up to 50% of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and are significantly impairing to the person affected, as well as to their loved ones. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been established as the gold-standard treatment for anxiety disorders among typically developing youth and adults, and demonstrates similar efficacy among youth with high-functioning autism (HFA). Many CBT interventions utilize a “full-package” treatment approach to treat co-occurring anxiety in youth with ASD. However, these service delivery systems are often therapist-intensive, costly, and impractical, thereby compromising full engagement and treatment adherence. This paper describes the design, rationale, and methodology of …

Exploring Low-Carbon Bus Options For Urban Brt Systems: The Case Of Amman, Rana Imam, Seong-Cheol Kang, Diana Quezada

Journal of Public Transportation

Being able to provide high-quality, metro-like transit service at a fraction of the cost of other options, bus rapid transit (BRT) has been viewed as one of the most cost-effective public mass transport systems suitable for urban areas. Considering significant amounts of greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions are attributed to the transport sector, deploying low carbon buses for BRT systems should be of high priority. With a view to promoting low carbon buses instead of diesel buses for a BRT system currently being planned in Amman, Jordan, this paper evaluates several low carbon bus options – hybrid, plug-in …

Finding The Growth Rate Of A Tumor, Christine Staat

Undergraduate Journal of Mathematical Modeling: One + Two

The Gompertz method is used to analyze the growing glioblastoma data and estimate how accurate the results of growth over time are. The Gompertz curve is expressed as V(t) = αe^-βe-γt. The data from the tumor is graphed in Excel along with the values from the Gompertz equation. Excel solver is used to assist in determining the constant values of α, β, and γ. The data of the tumor is overall very close to the outcome of the Gompertz model following a sigmoidal “S” curve.

The Relationship Between Suicide Rates And Mental Health Provider Ratio, Christian Bates

Undergraduate Journal of Mathematical Modeling: One + Two

This project is an analysis of the relationship between suicide rates and mental health provider ratio within the United States. Data from 2018 are collected for each state regarding its suicide rate, mental health provider ratio, and percent of population unable to receive treatment for mental health problems. An initial analysis is made using suicide rates and mental health provider ratio, with no correlation being found. A second analysis is conducted, using multiple linear regression with the percent of individuals within each state who were unable to access treatment for their mental health problems being the confounding variable. Controlling for …

Social Media And Mental Health: A Comprehensive Review Of Eating Disorders In Young Men And The Literature Gap, Samantha Bryan

USF St. Petersburg campus Honors Program Theses (Undergraduate)

Mental Health and Social Media is a literature review of how social networking sites (i.e., Snapchat) and mass media impacts the incidence, risk, and symptoms of eating disorders and disordered eating in men aged 18 to 27. The literature review begins with a general overview and the current literature and research gap. Peer-reviewed articles were searched and entered into an abstract matrix, and 36 were chosen to be in the review. The role of social networking sites (SNS) and mass media in the impact of eating disorder risk, symptoms, and incidence in college-aged men will be explored via the articles, …

Assessing The Environmental And Anthropogenic Factors Affecting Algae And How They Can Be Used As Indicator Species In Different Aquatic Ecosystems, Valerie Coulter

USF St. Petersburg campus Honors Program Theses (Undergraduate)

Within Earth’s waters resides microscopic photosynthetic creatures known as algae that supply the world with about half of the entire oxygen supply. These algae consist of diatoms, dinoflagellates, cyanobacteria, and coccolithophores, all of which can be found in the Earth’s bodies of water. Their distribution depends on many environmental factors such as temperature, nutrient availability, light availability, and also on anthropogenic factors such as dams, sewage, and agriculture. Many of these algal species and groups can be used as indicator species, as they can appear when conditions are outside normal ranges. Those that are considered indicator species can be studied …

Human Immunodeficiency Virus: A Literary Review On Gene Editing, Cytotherapy, And Medicinal Marijuana As Therapies For Hiv., Paula Moreno

USF St. Petersburg campus Honors Program Theses (Undergraduate)

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) affects about 40 million people world-wide; there is currently no cure for HIV or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). This paper will begin by explaining viruses/retroviruses and HIV infection/progression at the molecular, cellular, and organismal level. Common drug therapy will be mentioned, followed by in-depth discussions on the processes of three different therapies that combat HIV-1 at either the molecular, cellular, or organismal level. Once the virus has been integrated in the genome, antiretroviral therapies (ART) begin. At the molecular level, gene silencing has the power to essentially “shut down” or “cut out” genes from the integrated …

Mapping The Effects Of Hurricane Michael And Biological Drivers Of Change On Seagrass In St. Joseph Bay, Florida, Allison Senne

USF St. Petersburg campus Honors Program Theses (Undergraduate)

Hurricane Michael in October of 2018 was ranked third in intensity out of all the hurricanes that have ever been recorded to strike the United States. It struck in the Panhandle of Florida as a Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, and cost close to 30 billion dollars in damage. Damages to the status, health and distribution of seagrass beds, which are a key component of coastal ecosystems globally, have yet to be assessed. For this study, seagrass was digitized and mapped from aerial imagery taken in 2019 of St. Joseph Bay. The goal of this study was to assess …

Environmental Education At Florida Zoos, Aquariums, And Animal-Based Theme Parks In A National Context: A Comparative Analysis, Rachelle Pontes

USF St. Petersburg campus Master's Theses (Graduate)

Our society faces escalating environmental challenges with catastrophic implications. Environmental education (EE) is essential for creating an informed and active citizenry prepared to address urgent ecological problems. With a reach of over 195 million visitors annually, and diverse visitor demographics, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited zoos, aquariums, and animal-based theme parks are uniquely positioned to be critical centers of non-formal environmental education. This research investigates adult EE programming at zoos, aquariums, and animal-based theme parks in Florida, and provides a comparison of their focus and trajectory against EE programs in flagship zoos, aquariums, and animal-based theme parks …

Dendrogyra Cylindrus (Pillar Coral) Of The Florida Reef Tract: An Ex Situ Growth Study, And In Situ – Ex Situ Bacterial Assemblage Assessment, Aubrey E. Hetzler

USF St. Petersburg campus Master's Theses (Graduate)

The iconic Pillar Coral, Dendrogyra cylindrus, occurs exclusively in the Greater Caribbean and is the only species in its genus. Until the last decade, this stony coral species was notably under-studied by scientists. The drastic decline in this species prompted the formation of the ‘Pillar Coral Genetic Rescue Project’ (Jan. 2016) to provide long term care, growth, and emergency treatment for fragments of D. cylindrus – joined by the Florida Aquarium in August 2016. In contribution to the conservation efforts of this species, this research examines the ex situ growth rate for the species and compares the microbial community composition …

Determining Methane Uptake In Tropical Agroforestry Soils: A Case For Inclusion In Redd+, Callie L. Mills

USF St. Petersburg campus Master's Theses (Graduate)

This study measures methane fluxes in tropical agroforestry soils with relation to rainfall and temperature to determine agroforestry’s uses as a potential methane sink within the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) program. Agroforestry is a sustainable agriculture method which uses the intermingling of crops and trees for eventual timber harvesting. Agroforestry is known to provide carbon sequestration benefits and food security to small communities, while maximizing soil health. Belize is participating in the REDD+ program, where the role of methane is currently unclear. Methane samples from Maya Mountain Research Farm were collected several times per week during …

Adult Environmental Education: Active Vs. Passive Learning Pedagogy, Kelly Mckenna

USF St. Petersburg campus Master's Theses (Graduate)

From wildfires to coral bleaching, the global effects of climate change are difficult to ignore. Unfortunately, the number of environmental education (EE) programs that target adults in the United States is lacking. Adults have the biggest impact on the environment and the greatest ability to make positive environmental changes and therefore, the need to expand environmental education for adults is imperative. In order to contribute to improved environmental quality, adults need to be exposed to environmental problems and to be taught ways to reduce their environmental impacts. Existing research highlights the difficulties when attempting to include adults in environmental education …

Abundance And Distribution Of The Non-Native Apple Snail, Pomacea Maculata, In A Restored Wetland Of An Urban Lake, Lynsee Taylor Crichton

USF St. Petersburg campus Master's Theses (Graduate)

The Pomacea maculata, Perry, 1810 or island apple snail is an invasive species to Florida freshwater systems, has become widespread throughout the state. Although P. maculata in the United States are largely limited to ponds and lakes, it can also occur in other areas such as rivers, irrigated croplands, estuaries, and drainage and irrigation ditches. P. maculata is known for its distinctive reproduction patterns and clutch characteristics. There has been a concern that P. maculata has led to extirpations of the native Florida apple snail P. paludosa. In this study, I examined the abundance and distribution of clutches produced by …

Improving The Quality And Cost Effectiveness Of Multimodal Travel Behavior Data Collection, Cutr

Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Deficiencies In Public Transit Accessibility Of Healthcare Facilities In Chicago, Cutr

Research Reports

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Hiv Treatment And Research: A Call To Action, Tiffany Chenneville, Kemesha Gabbidon, Patricia Hanson, Cashea Holyfield

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is far reaching, with devastating effects on individuals, communities, and societies across the world. People with chronic health conditions may be at greater risk of contracting or experiencing complications from COVID-19. In addition to illness or death for those who contract the virus, the physical distancing required to flatten the curve of new cases is having a negative impact on the economy, the effects of which intersect with mental health and other existing health concerns, thus affecting marginalized communities. Given that HIV also has a disproportionate impact on marginalized communities, COVID-19 is affecting people …

Heat, Health And Hatchlings: Associations Of In Situ Nest Temperatures With Morphological And Physiological Characteristics Of Loggerhead Sea Turtle Hatchlings From Florida, Kelsey Alexandra Fleming, Justin R. Perrault, Nicole I. Stacy, Christina M. Coppenrath, Alison M. Gainsbury

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

Incubation temperatures, in addition to an embryo’s genetic makeup, are critical in many aspects of adequate sea turtle embryonic development. The effects of high and low incubation temperatures on hatchling quality have been previously examined; however, many of these studies were conducted on relocated or laboratory-reared nests, which do not accurately reflect natural nest temperature fluctuations. To observe the impacts of varying in situ incubation temperatures on loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) hatchling morphology, various health variables and locomotor performance, temperature data loggers were deployed in 15 loggerhead nests on Juno Beach, Florida, between May and July 2018. Over the …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Hiv Treatment And Research: A Call To Action, Tiffany Chenneville, Kemesha Gabbidon, Patricia Hanson, Cashea Holyfield

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is far reaching, with devastating effects on individuals, communities, and societies across the world. People with chronic health conditions may be at greater risk of contracting or experiencing complications from COVID-19. In addition to illness or death for those who contract the virus, the physical distancing required to flatten the curve of new cases is having a negative impact on the economy, the effects of which intersect with mental health and other existing health concerns, thus affecting marginalized communities. Given that HIV also has a disproportionate impact on marginalized communities, COVID-19 is affecting people …

Ethics As Obligation: Reconciling Diverging Research Practices With Marginalized Communities, Jill Mccracken

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

This article argues that research design is impacted by ideological frameworks, and when conducting community-based participatory research (CBPR), can create challenges and conflicts throughout the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and other institution’s approval processes. I explore the ideological frameworks that underpin conventional and CBPR methodologies to show how collaboration can influence the questions asked and answered, the roles of researchers in the project, and how research findings can better impact the community at the center of the research. I offer a snapshot of our CBPR project with women who were currently and formerly incarcerated and document the challenges we encountered …

Antimicrobial And Antibiofilm Activities Of Probiotic Lactobacilli On Antibiotic-Resistant Proteus Mirabilis, Mona Shaaban, Ola A. Abd El-Rahman, Bashair Al-Qaidi, Hossam M. Ashour

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

The emergence of biofilm-forming, multi-drug-resistant (MDR) Proteus mirabilis infections is a serious threat that necessitates non-antibiotic therapies. Antibiotic susceptibility and biofilm-forming activity of P. mirabilis isolates from urine samples were assessed by disc diffusion and crystal violet assays, respectively. Antimicrobial activities of probiotic Lactobacilli were evaluated by agar diffusion. Antibiofilm and anti-adherence activities were evaluated by crystal violet assays. While most P. mirabilis isolates were antibiotic-resistant to varying degrees, isolate P14 was MDR (resistant to ceftazidime, cefotaxime, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, imipenem, ciprofloxacin, and amikacin) and formed strong biofilms. Cultures and cell-free supernatants of Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus reuteri exhibited antimicrobial and …

Proceedings Of The 2019 Nanoflorida International Conference Held At The University Of South Florida, Tampa, Fl, Shyam S. Mohapatra, Robert D. Frisina, Subhra Mohapatra, Mandip Singh, Manh-Huong Phan

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Relt Stains Prominently In B-Cell Lymphomas And Binds The Hematopoietic Transcription Factor Mdfic, John K. Cusick, Yasmeen Alhomsy, Stephanie Wong, George Talbott, Vladimir N. Uversky, Cara Hart, Nazila Hejazi, Aaron T. Jacobs, Yihui Shi

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Receptor Expressed in Lymphoid Tissues (RELT) is a human tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member (TNFRSF) that is expressed most prominently in cells and tissues of the hematopoietic system. RELL1 and RELL2 are two homologs that physically interact with RELT and co-localize with RELT at the plasma membrane. This study sought to further elucidate the function of RELT by identifying novel protein interactions with RELT family members. The transcription factor MyoD family inhibitor domain-containing (MDFIC) was identified in a yeast two-hybrid genetic screen using RELL1 as bait. MDFIC co-localizes with RELT family members at the plasma membrane; this co-localization was …

Unstructured Biology Of Proteins From Ubiquitin-Proteasome System: Roles In Cancer And Neurodegenerative Diseases, Kundlik Gadhave, Prateek Kumar, Shivani K. Kapuganti, Vladimir N. Uversky, Rajanish Giri

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

The 26S proteasome is a large (~2.5 MDa) protein complex consisting of at least 33 different subunits and many other components, which form the ubiquitin proteasomal system (UPS), an ATP-dependent protein degradation system in the cell. UPS serves as an essential component of the cellular protein surveillance machinery, and its dysfunction leads to cancer, neurodegenerative and immunological disorders. Importantly, the functions and regulations of proteins are governed by the combination of ordered regions, intrinsically disordered protein regions (IDPRs) and molecular recognition features (MoRFs). The structure–function relationships of UPS components have not been identified completely; therefore, in this study, we have …

Zooming Into The Dark Side Of Human Annexin-S100 Complexes: Dynamic Alliance Of Flexible Partners, Judith Weisz, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Annexins and S100 proteins form two large families of Ca2+-binding proteins. They are quite different both structurally and functionally, with S100 proteins being small (10–12 kDa) acidic regulatory proteins from the EF-hand superfamily of Ca2+-binding proteins, and with annexins being at least three-fold larger (329 ± 12 versus 98 ± 7 residues) and using non-EF-hand-based mechanism for calcium binding. Members of both families have multiple biological roles, being able to bind to a large cohort of partners and possessing a multitude of functions. Furthermore, annexins and S100 proteins can interact with each other in either a Ca2+-dependent or Ca2+-independent manner, …

Drug Discovery Targeting The Disorder-To-Order Transition Regions Through The Conformational Diversity Mimicking And Statistical Analysis, Insung Na, Sungwoo Choi, Seung Han Son, Vladimir N. Uversky, Chul Geun Kim

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Intrinsically disordered proteins exist as highly dynamic conformational ensembles of diverse forms. However, the majority of virtual screening only focuses on proteins with defined structures. This means that computer-aided drug discovery is restricted. As a breakthrough, understanding the structural characteristics of intrinsically disordered proteins and its application can open the gate for unrestricted drug discovery. First, we segmented the target disorder-to-order transition region into a series of overlapping 20-amino-acid-long peptides. Folding prediction generated diverse conformations of these peptides. Next, we applied molecular docking, new evaluation score function, and statistical analysis. This approach successfully distinguished known compounds and their corresponding binding …

Yersinia Outer Membrane Vesicles As Potential Vaccine Candidates In Protecting Against Plague, Andrey A. Byvalov, Ilya V. Konyshev, Vladimir N. Uversky, Svetlana V. Dentovskaya, Andrey P. Anisimov

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Despite the relatively low incidence of plague, its etiological agent, Yersinia pestis, is an exceptional epidemic danger due to the high infectivity and mortality of this infectious disease. Reports on the isolation of drug-resistant Y. pestis strains indicate the advisability of using asymmetric responses, such as phage therapy and vaccine prophylaxis in the fight against this problem. The current relatively effective live plague vaccine is not approved for use in most countries because of its ability to cause heavy local and system reactions and even a generalized infectious process in people with a repressed immune status or metabolic disorders, as …