Digital Commons Network^™

Semi-Automated Cell Annotation Framework Using Deep Learning, Abhiram Kandiyana

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Unbiased stereology refers to a field of applied mathematics \cite{intro-to-stereology} focused on accurate (model and assumption-free) quantification of three-dimensional (3D) objects, typically based on their appearance in 2D sections (planes) through the objects. In the biological sciences, these techniques are widely used for making unbiased estimates of arbitrary-shaped (stochastic) objects such as stained cells, blood vessels, region volumes, etc., in tissue sections through a region of interest (ROI).

This fundamental methodology is widely used for evaluating structural changes that occur in diseases, aging, and pharmaceutical interventions, thereby ensuring reliable outcomes. In terms of limitations, stereology is tedious, time- and labor-intensive, …

Effects Of Unobservable Bus States On Detection And Localization Of False Data Injection Attacks In Smart Grids, Moheb Abdelmalak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In an era increasingly marked by sophisticated cyber-attacks, this thesis investigates the critical issue of bus unobservability in smart grids and its impact on the effectiveness of cyber-attack detection and localization models. Given that unobservability is a prevalent challenge in smart grids due to various factors, researchers have developed numerous algorithms for optimal Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) placement under scenarios of limited observability. However, these models primarily focus on enhancing network observability, often without considering whether this placement optimally facilitates attack detection. This research is driven by the hypothesis that a deeper understanding of the effects of unobservable buses can …

Utilizing Machine Learning Techniques For Accurate Diagnosis Of Breast Cancer And Comprehensive Statistical Analysis Of Clinical Data, Myat Ei Ei Phyo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer represents a formidable malignancy, presenting a substantial threat to global health and individual well-being. Conventionally, it is widely held that the prognosis for breast cancer patients hinges predominantly upon the timing of diagnosis and the extent of cancer progression, typically delineated by its stage. However, emerging evidence from robust regression and machine learning analyses challenges this prevailing notion. The results indicate that survival months cannot be solely attributed to diagnosis and socio-economic factors. Instead, additional variables such as existing diseases and treatment complexities may contribute to the intricate landscape of breast cancer outcomes.

This research aims to delve …

Exploring Educational Equity: An Ethnographic Case Study Of Non-Profit Initiatives In Early Childhood Education, Jovana Jovanovic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Quality early childhood education is acknowledged as a crucial factor in paving the way for academic success and societal contribution. Childhood experiences greatly influence individual life trajectories, significantly shaping future endeavors. This research delves into the intricate dynamics between socioeconomic status (SES), educational outcomes, and non-profit organizations, emphasizing the challenges faced by students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. While factors such as limited resources, financial constraints, and substandard living conditions have been linked to negative consequences on educational attainment, this research seeks to understand the specific role of non-profits in enhancing educational opportunities. By shedding light on collaborative efforts between local …

Nutrient Removal Of Biochar Amended Modified Bioretention Systems Treating Nursery Runoff, Nicholas Richardson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Excess inputs of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, to surface water bodies can lead to the presence of harmful algal blooms (HABs). HABs can damage their surrounding environments and the economies dependent on them. Nutrient pollution can be properly controlled and monitored at point-sources, such as wastewater treatment plants, but is more difficult to control for non-point sources, such as fertilizer runoff. One form of fertilizer runoff that remains overlooked is runoff from plant nurseries. Controlled release fertilizers (CRFs) embedded in plant containers at nurseries can leach excess nutrients into the runoff. For nurseries in Florida, best management practices …

Predicting Gender Of Author Using Large Language Models (Llms), Satya Uday Sanku

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The advent of text data from social media, blogs, movie reviews, and other textual sources has opened new avenues for research, particularly in the domain of Author Profiling. Author Profiling helps in Capturing the Stylistic features and also useful for analyzing the required elements in the written text. This Study addresses one of the tasks in Author Profiling which is termed as gender detection or Classification of Gender from Text. The main goal of this research is to obtain valuable and relevant gender characteristics that will accurately classify the Author’s gender of a review extracted from an Anime Review website. …

Investigating The Causes Of Lake Level Variability On A Modern Carbonate Platform, Natalie M. Salazar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lakes on carbonate islands are known to reduce freshwater lens volumes and alter freshwater lens distribution; however, the magnitude and controlling factors between lake and freshwater lens interactions remain poorly understood. Since freshwater lenses are thin and can be fragmented by lakes in small carbonate islands, it is important to understand the magnitude of exchange between lakes and the freshwater lens to understand potential groundwater depletion. This study utilized high temporal resolution water levels and meteorological data to quantify monthly water budgets for seven lakes on San Salvador Island, The Bahamas. The monthly water budgets accounted for rainfall, potential evaporation, …

Interrelationships Among Local Values Of Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, Heat Index, And Adjusted Temperature, Andrea Giraldo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Occupational heat stress significantly affects outdoor workers who face challenges due to increased heat exposure. Because of the prevalence of heat illness, it is important to measure heat stress for outdoor workers. Monitoring occupational heat stress most often relies on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) measure. Heat Index (HI) is a widely used measure to account for air temperature and humidity. Adjusted Temperature (Tadj) considers air temperature, humidity and estimates radiant heat. There is interest in predicting WBGT from HI and HI from WBGT. This study builds on previous USF research by Bernard and Iheanacho and Irvin to evaluate …

Dissolved Nickel Speciation At The Bermuda Atlantic Time-Series Study (Bats) Site, Caitlyn E. Parente

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Here I present the first depth profiles of dissolved nickel (DNi) speciation over an annual cycle at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site in the North Atlantic. Seawater samples were collected in March, May, August, and November 2019 and analyzed for labile DNi using competitive ligand exchange-adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (CLE-AdCSV). Labile DNi was measured by CLE-AdCSV as the fraction of DNi that exchanges with an added competitive ligand in an overnight equilibration. Results revealed two distinct fractions of DNi present throughout the water column: a labile fraction, and a strongly organically complexed (i.e., non-labile) fraction. More than 50% …

The Effect Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Environmental Perceptions Of College Students, Sydney H. Kaylor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study, the environmental perception changes in college students during the COVID-19 pandemic were investigated. During the almost worldwide lockdown between March and December 2020, many students experienced dramatic changes in their socioeconomic life that have affected their well-being, ability to learn, and environmental perceptions. Students were sent home from college campuses, many businesses were shut down, and changes were seen in the environment throughout the world. The many industries and businesses that were shut down decreased the pollution that was in the atmosphere, in our water, and on the land. In many places, lockdown policies lead to improved …

Financial Literacy, Health Insurance, And Health-Related Financial Behaviors, Kyle Kopplin

Numeracy

Research on financial literacy seeks to determine whether costly financial mistakes can be avoided. Decisions all consumers face are whether to purchase health insurance, purchase prescriptions, pursue recommended medical testing, and seek medical help for related problems by comparing perceived costs and benefits. Using data from the National Financial Capability Study, this paper provides evidence that financial literacy is a significant determinant in health insurance demand that also reduces the probability of less desirable health-related financial behaviors.

Metatranscriptomic Insights Into The Interaction Between Microcystis Blooms And Hydrogen Peroxide, Taylor L. Hancock

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For this dissertation I studied the interactions of hydrogen peroxide and cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) dominated by Microcystis in the Caloosahatchee River, FL. Specifically, I examined how taxonomic and functional succession relates to both natural hydrogen peroxide dynamics and hydrogen peroxide added to the environment as a cHAB treatment. Chapter 2 investigated how taxonomic succession and gene expression patterns relate to blooms and associated elevated hydrogen peroxide concentrations. The results showed that gene expressions related to cyanobacterial growth were positively correlated with hydrogen peroxide. The genes identified included enzymes capable of hydrogen peroxide generation which were expressed by blooming …

Determining Students’ Personality Traits According To Parental Perspectives: A Scale Development Study, Cengiz Aglar, Tuncay Dilci

Journal of Global Education and Research

The educational community recognizes individual differences, but it is important to fully address them in educational settings. While there are existing studies on personality traits, none focus on the personality traits of students aged 6-18. This study aims to fill this gap, as personality traits significantly influence personal, academic, and professional life. Understanding student personalities allows for the development of more effective educational programs, facilitating their full potential. The study included parents of 2,229 students from a population of 16,505,271 aged 6-18 in Turkiye. Through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), a reliable 61-item 5-point Likert scale (α = .942) was …

Pre-Service Teachers Evaluate Mentors And Teaching Practice Schools Using Metaphors, Suzan Canli, Hasan Demirtas

Journal of Global Education and Research

The present study aimed to analyze the views of pre-service teachers, expressed through metaphors, about the adequacy of mentors and teaching practice schools and their recommendations for effective mentoring. A phenomenological design was adopted, and participants included 105 mentees. The current mentors and teaching practice schools had attributes that were not adequate for active mentoring. The mentor should be selected based on criteria such as professional competence, ability to perform mentoring roles, and positive interpersonal relationships. The teaching practice schools should be selected based on human relations, educational activities, the quality of education and instruction, and the physical conditions of …

Examination Of The Delphi Method For Establishing A Quantitative Literacy Framework In Undergraduate Mathematics Course, Emily Elrod, Joo Young Park

Numeracy

The increased relevancy and importance of quantitative literacy (QL) have called for educational reform in undergraduate mathematics course offerings. However, lack of clear guidelines has led to wide variability in the content and outcomes of math courses meant to address QL. Therefore, having an expert consensus regarding content and outcomes for an undergraduate mathematics course focusing on QL would advance the quantitative literacy initiative in higher education. The authors propose the Delphi Method to aid in developing a framework based on expert opinions. The authors explain the Method and suggest the result of this process should yield a research-based framework …

Rates Of Diagenesis Of Tropical Insectivorous Bat Guano Accumulations: Implications For Potential Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction, Donald A. Mcfarlane, Joyce Lundberg

International Journal of Speleology

Cave guano deposits are increasingly being recognized as valuable repositories of paleo-climatic and paleo-environmental information. However, that value is constrained by rates of guano decomposition, and these rates have not been previously well-studied. Here we show that field and laboratory studies of deep insectivorous bat guano sequences in the caves of Borneo demonstrate the extreme dependence of decomposition rate on guano water content. Under tropical conditions, moist guanos exhibit decomposition coefficients (k) values of ~ 0.01, implying the loss of most of the organic content on decadal timescales. Under similar temperatures but drier conditions, k values drop to …

Subaqueous Carbonate Speleothems As Paleotemperature Archives – Clumped Isotope Thermometry And Stable Isotope Compositions Of Inclusion-Hosted Water, Attila Demeny, Ágnes Berentés, László Rinyu, Ivett Kovács, Gergely Surányi, Magdolna Virág

International Journal of Speleology

Clumped isotope measurements of carbonates and stable isotope analyses of water trapped in fluid inclusions are both promising techniques to determine carbonate formation temperatures. Cave-hosted carbonate deposits (speleothems) are excellent targets for such studies, but kinetic fractionations and diagenetic influences frequently deteriorate the temperature data obtained from these methods. However, subaqueous carbonate deposits may provide reliable data, as kinetic fractionations are less significant in underwater environments. In this study, subaqueous speleothems, whose formation temperatures were directly measured in the water, were investigated. Additionally, temperatures calculated from the oxygen isotope fractionations between calcite and fluid inclusion-hosted water were compared with clumped …

Energetic Value Estimates Of Wild And Domesticated Food Items Consumed By Congolese Bayaka Foragers, Lucie Benoit, Sheina Lew-Levy, Yann R. Ouamba, Alyssa N. Crittenden

Journal of Ecological Anthropology

We present a dataset that systematically estimates the energetic value of wild and domesticated food resources collected and consumed by Congolese BaYaka foragers. This dataset is unique in that it accounts for everyday practices of food processing and consumption. Reported values of inedible portions, moisture content, and estimated energetic values (kcal/g) were extracted from field research and the published food chemistry and nutrition literature. These data are central to understanding how nutritional needs are met in rainforest environments and will allow for current and future tracking of diet composition in this and similar ecologies. The dataset is available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19446938.v9

The Role Of Muslim Women In Nigeria’S Socioeconomic Development Through The Implementation Of The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Faqiat Afolake Adeaga

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the often underestimated yet pivotal role of Muslim women in propelling socio-economic development in Nigeria, specifically focusing on the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary research question seeks to comprehend the transformative impact of faith-based women-led NGOs, including Ansar-ud- Deen, Nawair-ud-Deen, FOMWAN, and NASFAT, on Muslim women's empowerment and their contribution to SDG1 (extreme poverty), SDG3 (health), SDG4 (education), and SDG5 (gender equality) in Nigeria. Simultaneously, the secondary research question explores successful strategies employed by these organizations in empowering Muslim women, with a keen focus on potential areas for improvement. Incorporating research …

Proceedings Of The International Conference On Culture, Tourism, And Hospitality: Volume 1, Cihan Cobanoglu, Hanqin Qiu, Jiaying Lyu, James H. W. Shen

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This is the first volume of the International Conference on Culture, Tourism, and Hospitality Proceedings Series.

The International Crisis In Numeracy Education, Nathan D. Grawe

Numeracy

The OECD recently released results from the 2022 administration of the Programme for International Student Assessment test. As other studies suggest, pandemic mitigation policies resulted in deep learning loss including in basic mathematics which forms the foundation of numeracy. Perhaps of greater concern, however, in many countries pandemic effects amplify declining performance that dates back a decade or more. Losses of two or more years' worth of mathematics education are not uncommon among developed countries. The editorial makes an urgent call for research that identifies practical steps to reverse these trends.

Numeracy Tasks: Inspiring Transfer Between Concrete And Abstract Thinking Spaces, Taras Gula, Miroslav Lovric

Numeracy

In our paper we build a case for conceptualizing numeracy tasks as distinct from mathematical tasks (or at least as a special type of mathematical task), and for abstraction and interpretation as a set of key activities necessary for designating a numeracy task as being high-quality. We start with an attempt to tame the fuzziness of numeracy and its family members (including quantitative reasoning, quantitative literacy, mathematical literacy, and the word problem cousins) by outlining six areas of consensus gleaned from literature. These provide the foundation for a core mandate of numeracy. We then build our case for the distinctness …

Infusing Quantitative Reasoning Skills Into A Differential Equation Class In An Urban Public Community College, Tanvir Prince

Numeracy

This research centers on implementing Quantitative Reasoning (QR) within a differential equations course at an urban public community college. As a participant in the Numeracy Infusion for College Educators (NICE) faculty development program, I sought to integrate QR skills into my curriculum. Students in the course were introduced to QR goals using real-world data sets, particularly those related to population growth, which aim to enhance their understanding, sharpen their problem-solving abilities, and cultivate a positive perspective on the real-world relevance of mathematics. Preliminary findings indicate varied levels of QR skill development among students. These results underscore the potential benefits of …

4d-Perfused Tumoroid-On-A-Chip Platform For Personalized Cancer Treatment Applications, Subhra Mohapatra, Shyam S. Mohapatra, Tao Wang

USF Patents

A 4D-perfused tumoroid-on-a-chip platform used in personalized cancer treatment. The platform includes a plate with a plurality of bottomless wells that resides atop a microfluidic channel layer, which in turn resides atop a surface acoustic wave (SAW) based sensor layer that is capable of measuring potential pH values of fluids disposed within the platform. The microfluidic channel layer includes a plurality of bioreactors, with each bioreactor including an inlet well, a culture well, and an outlet well. The inlet well, culture well, and outlet well form a closed system via fluid conduits spanning from the inlet well to the culture …

Surface Modification Of Poly(4,4'-Oxydiphenilene Pyromellitimide) With Low-Pressure Plasma Treatment, Cihan Aktas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the change of the wetting characteristics of commercially availablepolyimide (PI), Kapton® HN, films a type of poly(4,4′-oxydiphenylene-pyromellitimide), following treatment with low-pressure plasmas of carbon tetrafluoride (CF4), air, hydrogen (H2), carbon-dioxide (CO2) and oxygen (O2) gases as well as the surface texturing via laser-exposure procedure. The water contact angle (CA) and surface free energy (SFE) of untreated PI films were determined as 82.4°±0.8 and 45.0±0.3 mN/m, respectively. After CF4 plasma gas treatment, the CA value of PI films increased to 110.2°±1.0, while it decreased to 9.3°±2.3 after O2 plasma gas treatment. The surface free energy (SFE) of PI …

Activity Budget Of Wintering Indian Skimmer (Rynchops Albicollis) At Damar Char, Bangladesh, D. K. Das, A. J. Galib, N. Khandakar, M. H. Rohman, A. H. M. A. Reza

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

Hematological And Biochemical Analyses Of Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata Magnificens Found On The Coast Of The State Of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, A. C. S. Scarelli, I. Menegaldo, A. D. Tadeu, P. Baldassin, E. Shimoda, F. F. Silva, M. R. Werneck

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

Longevity In The Rhinoceros Auklet Cerorhinca Monocerata And A Comparison With Other Species Of Alcidae, J. M. Hipfner, D. Shervill, A. D. Domalik, D. F. Bertram, M. J. F. Lemon, M. S. Rodway, C. Smith, S. A. Hudson

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

Survival And Recruitment Dynamics Of Black-Legged Kittiwakes Rissa Tridactyla At An Alaskan Colony, A. Mcknight, E. J. Blomberg, D. B. Irons, C. S. Loftin, S. T. Mckinney

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Egg Harvest On Egg Laying Of Glaucous-Winged Gulls Larus Glaucescens, A. L. Schaefer, M. A. Bishop, K. Jurica

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.