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Crow's Nest, March 22, 2021, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The March 22, 2021, issue of the Crow's Nest.

Opinion: We’Re Talking Trash, And You Should Too, Annalise Anderson, Crow's Nest Staff

Student Green Energy Fund (SGEF) Water Refill Stations

Opinion article about efforts by members of the USF St. Petersburg community to address litter and pollution in the St. Petersburg community.

Investigating The Novel Role Of Dextromethorphan In Mitigating Oxidative Stress Induced Changes In Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells (Rpe), Zeinab A. Mohamed

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Oxidative stress contributes to the degeneration of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and photoreceptors that lead to the dry form of age-related macular degeneration. Activation of N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors contributes to the increase of free radicals that induce oxidative stress-induced changes. Our study investigates if Dextromethorphan, an NMDA receptor antagonist, reverses oxidative stress-induced changes in RPE. We used Paraquat and H2O2 as oxidative stress-inducing agents to induce oxidative damage in human ARPE-19 cells. To illustrate the change in cell viability and measure the apoptosis of ARPE-19 cells from oxidative damage, we performed MTT assay and Annexin V-DAPI flow cytometry analysis. …

Consumerism And Pride: The Fate Of Paris’ Marais “Gayborhood”, Christina M. Csensich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the 1980s the Marais neighborhood in Paris, France, became a haven for queer people, specifically gay, white men, filled with queer-owned and queer-centric businesses. By the year 2020, however, these businesses had been priced out by name-brand international corporations. In the 1990s, French television commercials and programs would not speak the word ‘homosexual,’ even when a character was openly queer. By the 2010s, companies regularly featured queer people and gay pride imagery and slogans in their advertising. The queer community in Paris has a unique relationship with the consumer economy, one that ties aspects of queer identity directly to …

Passive Nitrifying Biofilters For Onsite Treatment Of Saline Domestic Wastewater, Daniel Arnulfo Delgado

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The infrastructure to support the growing world population has polluted many water bodies with nitrogen from urban and agricultural runoff and failing wastewater systems, such as improperly sited and maintained septic systems. Septic systems present a low energy and maintenance option to treat domestic wastewater and is a treatment option that can be done far from a centralized grid. This further reduces cost, maintenance, and energy as it reduces the need to build and maintaining sewage piping and the infrastructure to move the water longer distances. However, these systems tend to fail when their upkeep is left to homeowners that …

The Influence Of Maternal Body-Shaming Comments And Bodily Shame On Portion Size, Savannah R. Flak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Young adult women are more likely to be dissatisfied with their bodies (Wansink et al., 2017) and engage in disordered eating patterns when they have a history of receiving parental comments about their bodies during childhood (Fortesa & Ajete, 2014). Furthermore, high bodily shame mediates the relationship between receiving critical messages about eating from parents during childhood and disordered eating behaviors for young adult women (Oliveira et al., 2019). Altogether, this suggests that bodily shame is a distinct pathway linking parental influence during adolescence to eating disturbances. However, little research has examined the unique roles that bodily shame, internalized weight …

The Mass Is The Medium: Marshall Mcluhan And Roman Catholic Liturgical Change, Ashil D. Manohar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The liturgical changes of Vatican II sought to bring a period of renewal to the Catholic laity by encouraging active participation and making the Mass more simple to understand. However, the time after the Council was characterized by confusion and disengagement by the laity. I will be discussing three significant changes to the liturgy at this time, The change from Latin to the vernacular, the change in the orientation of the altar and priest, and the change in acoustics, sound, and music. I will be examining all of these changes through the media theory of Marshall McLuhan, famous for coining …

Bait-And-Kill: Targeting A Novel Heme Biochemical Pathway In Hundreds Of Cancers, Christopher G. Marinescu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cancer cells are characterized by their ability to grow and proliferate in rates that far exceed normal cells by modifying their iron/heme metabolisms to levels higher than normal. This imbalance of heme biosynthesis can lead to cancer cells having a flux of heme intermediates to the point where they enter a state called heme-overdrive. Heme-overdrive is a process unique to a variety of cancers but absent in normal tissues. With this enhanced production, heme can act as an epigenic regulator for signaling proliferation (18). Through the novel strategy called ‘bait-and-kill,’ cancer cells will be coerced into a state of heme …

The Dream Act And Daca: A History Of Immigrant Children, Sofia Paschero

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis writes the history of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM ACT) and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Chapter One gives a background history on immigration reforms in the 20th century. Chapter Two focuses on the history of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM Act). Chapter Three is the immigrant children story. This chapter is an oral history. My main argument is immigrants have always been and still are, easy targets. Politicians create immigrants as scapegoats in order to avoid the social, political, cultural, and economic issues that are affecting people …

Warming Up And Cooling Down: Perceptions And Behaviors Associated With Aerobic Exercise, Balea J. Schumacher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the perceptual and behavioral responses regarding the use of warm-ups and cool-downs in aerobically active adults. There were 79 individuals who volunteered to participate in this study. Respondents were recruited by word of mouth or through social media and the Qualtrics survey link/QR code was on all recruitment materials in order to access the survey. The survey consisted of 47 questions. This study aimed to determine whether age, sex, or exercise location impacted perception or behavior related to warm-up and/or cool- down activities before or after the aerobic training exercise sessions. Primary results indicated the following: 1) …

The Perceived Utility Of Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing Marketed For Athletic Ability, Katherine L. Zimmerman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Factors that influence the public’s interest in pursuing genetic testing to determine athletic ability are not yet known. The purpose of this study is to compare interest in genetic testing marketed for athletic ability and susceptibility to sports-related injuries among athletes and the general public. Additionally, this study aims to determine if genetic determinism, knowledge and elements of perceived utility influence their overall intention to use the results of such genetic testing. Participants were recruited through social media platforms to complete an online survey measuring their intention to pursue testing under various circumstances, intention to use the results to change …

Novel Educational Material For Patients With A Variant Of Uncertain Significance (Vus) In A Cancer Risk Gene, Meghan E. Kelley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The number of individuals being tested for hereditary cancer syndromes has greatly increased in the last several years and many people receive Variants of Uncertain Significance (VUS) as a test result. Although VUS results should not guide medical management, patients and even some healthcare providers continue to use a VUS to alter or receive unnecessary medical care.

We conducted a needs assessment via literature review and analyzed VUS patient interviews from a previous study with the goal of identifying various themes that could help determine content, layout, and messaging to incorporate into online educational materials. The needs assessment found few …

"Duck Wars": Examining The Narrative Construction Of A "Problem" Species, Jenna A. Bateman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The problematization of non-human animals occurs through a process of claimsmaking that constructs certain species as “problems”. My thesis examines the news narrative constructions of the Muscovy duck in Florida and Texas. I use a narrative analysis to examine the themes through which news narratives make claims in their construction of the “duck wars” in Florida and Texas. In the “duck wars”, the problematization of the Muscovy occurs through a set of claims made about the species by the reporters and residents in Florida and Texas neighborhoods. There are also sets of claims about other groups associated with the species, …

Building And Characterizing A Lab-Scaled Aquifer Storage And Recovery System, Murat Can Kayabas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To use Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) as a water treatment and storage method, we must understand the fate and behavior of potential contaminants in the system. Knowing more about the aquifer properties such as dispersivity will enable us to assess how the target chemicals behave in the system. Characterizing the aquifer by using a tracer is a good way to estimate dispersivity since the tracer is not adsorbed or degraded. This study aims to build a lab-scale physical model of a confined aquifer to simulate an ASR system, verify its hydraulic functionality, and characterize the hydraulics of the aquifer …

Evaluating The Development And Implementation Of Campus-Based Sexual And Interpersonal Violence Prevention Programming, Robyn Manning-Samuels

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

1 in 5 women in institutions of higher education experience an attempted or completed sexual assault every year. Sexual and interpersonal violence prevention programming is one of the main ways colleges and universities attempt to address this issue. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative pilot study is to evaluate the development and implementation of campus-based sexual and interpersonal violence prevention programming, looking specifically at facilitators and barriers for prevention staff, what they experience as preventionists, and how COVID-19 has impacted these essential programs. Ten preventionists were recruited from the Campus Advocacy and Prevention Professionals Association for 90-minute interviews. Results of …

The Value Of Sleep: Aura And Aesthetics Of Cohabitation In Juha Lilja's Revision Of Warhol, Christopher Costabile

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis positions Juha Lilja’s 2013 digital video work, Sleep, as a prime example of what the author terms an “aesthetics of cohabitation” — a newly suggested method of artistic creation set in opposition to capitalist society’s commodification of both space and time, represented here through the work of Robert Hassan and Jonathan Crary. Lilja’s eight-hour-long video work, which is accessible on YouTube, is a reimagining and re-envisioning of Andy Warhol’s film of the same name. It subverts the intended function of digital streaming platforms while using digital technology to meet aesthetic criteria in shot length and overall duration, which …

A Comparative Study Of Male And Female Undergraduate Computer Science Students’ Educational Pathways, Stephanie Fitzsimmons

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), including Computer Science (CS) are fields that are in great demand globally. This study’s purpose was to explore the nature of the educational pathways, critical factors and commonalities/differences leading to CS undergraduate enrollment through the male and female perspectives focusing on personal/home, academic/attitude and psychological factors underlying the Social Cognitive Career Theory factors. Purposive sampling method was used for this multi-case study, comprised of CS undergraduate upperclassman. Participants shared their perspectives on their CS educational pathway via three interviews and journals. Thematic analysis of narrative for both individual and cumulative group analysis, plus researcher …

The Weekly Challenger, March 18, 2021, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The March 18, 2021, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

Evaluating Video Modeling To Teach A Block Schedule Trial-Based Functional Analysis, Alyssa N. Zak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Functional analyses (FAs) are considered the gold standard for determining the function of behavior. However, behavior analysts have cited several perceived barriers that hinder the use of FAs, particularly a lack of time, dedicated space, and trained staff to conduct the analysis. Analyses such as the trial-based FA have been adapted from the traditional session-based FA in order to overcome some of these barriers. The block schedule trial-based FA (Gonzalez, 2018) has had one of the highest correspondence rates between the trial-based and the session-based FA to date. Research from past studies suggest that video modeling is an effective way …

Formulation And Characterization Of Raloxifene Nanostructured Lipid Carries For Permeability Enhancement Applications, Anju Sharma

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Raloxifene (RLX), a BCS class-II drug is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM)having estrogenic effect on bone and antiestrogenic effect on endometrium and breast respectively. Low solubility, high permeability, high metabolism and low bioavailability are the characteristics of raloxifene. It is used to prevent and treat in women and those on It is also used to reduce the risk of in those at high risk. Although 60% is absorbed orally, raloxifene shows extremely poor bioavailability (2%) owing to its low solubility and an extensive (>90%) intestinal/hepatic first-pass metabolism. Hence it becomes important to increase the solubility of raloxifene in …

Preference For Social Stimuli: A Comparison Of Stimulus Modes Used In Preference Assessments, Shannon Wilson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Social stimuli are some of the most commonly used reinforcers in clinical programming(Graff & Karsten, 2012) and previous research shows that preference for social stimuli can be identified using variations of a paired stimulus preference assessment (PSPA; Fisher et al., 1992). Previous studies evaluating preference for social stimuli have employed video stimuli (Wolfe et al., 2018), pictures of the actual social stimuli (Kelly et al., 2014), and pictures of arbitrary shapes (Morris & Vollmer, 2019). To date, no study has evaluated the correspondence in preference for social stimuli across these three stimulus modes. Therefore, the purposes of this study were …

Four Hollywood Film Adaptations Of Little Women: Identifying Female Subjectivity In Characters, Plots, And Authorship, Haiyu Wang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My thesis examines the expressions of the limits and possibilities of female subjectivity in the four Hollywood film adaptations of Little Women, filmed in 1933, 1949, 1994, and 2019 respectively, by combining textual and audience analysis with adaptation theory, feminist film theory, and feminist adaptation theory. In exploring the disparate femininity of female characters, the different representations of plots, and the authorship and changes of structure, I argue that the 1933 and 1949 versions present evidently conservative and patriarchal characteristics in the text, but their female subjectivity can be obtained through the complexity of emotion of the female audience …

Evaluation Of A Spanish-Language Educational Tool For Inherited Cancer, Stefania Alastre

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A web-based educational tool designed to cover pre-test genetic counseling elements for multi-gene hereditary cancer panel testing increased knowledge and decisional empowerment among an English-speaking cohort actively seeking information about genetic testing. The purpose of this study was to pilot a Spanish-language version of this tool using a pre- post- survey design to assess for changes in knowledge and informed decision making about genetic testing and obtain additional feedback using semi-structured interviews. Spanish-speaking individuals were recruited online. Although several participants expressed that the tool was informative, interesting, and that they liked it, time stamps for the post-survey suggested that most …

Drug Candidates Targeting Hsp90/Cdc37 For The Treatment Of Neurodegenerative Disease, Ryan Martin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Neurodegenerative disease refers to the death of specific populations of neurons that canresult in dementia, loss of voluntary muscle motility, and other abnormalities. Two major neurodegenerative diseases are Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), which are linked to abnormalities in Tau and a-synuclein proteins, respectively. Currently, there is no cure for these diseases. Our group and others have shown that chaperone proteins play a critical role in the processing of Tau and a-synuclein. The inhibition of the Hsp90/Cdc37 chaperone complex is shown to affect the levels of these two proteins. Hence, we hypothesized that a drug molecule, conglobatin (Cb), …

The Little Things That Count: Mapping Diversity Of West Florida’S Shelf, Nicole L. Seiden

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biodiversity is essential to the ecosystem functions responsible for generating the multi-billion-dollar industries that the US relies on for food, storm mitigation, tourism and recreation, but is facing increasing natural and anthropogenic threats. High-resolution diversity data covering large spatial areas would enhance current ecology knowledge and better address conservation concerns in the Gulf of Mexico. However, acquiring and handling data of this nature is resource intensive and has not yet been established. In this study, high spatial resolution data was collected from gastropod living and death assemblages collected over 10 years from the West Florida Shelf (WFS). A multivariate regression …

White Too Long: Christianity Or Nationalism?, Rachel E. Osborne

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Tension, racism, and violence being enacted in the name of Christianity have brought new attention to the work of many scholars of religion who have documented and analyzed the relationship between white Christianity and racism in the U.S. In his 2020 book White Too Long, Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) director and religious studies scholar Robert P. Jones states unequivocally that “[i]n survey after survey, white Christians stand out in their negative attitudes about racial, ethnic, and religious minorities (especially Muslims), the unequal treatment of African Americans by police and the criminal justice system, their anxieties about the changing face …

Americans’ Familiarity, Interest, And Actions With Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing, Riley L. Carroll

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: In 2013, 36% of the U.S. public was aware of Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) genetic tests, but updated studies are needed to identify whether this has changed over time. Objective: The aims are to determine current awareness and utilization of DTC tests and to identify demographic factors that influence testing uptake. Methods: An online panel survey of 543 U.S. adults was conducted using age- and sex-based quotas. Descriptive statistics and binary regression identified factors associated with undergoing DTC testing and linear regression was conducted to identify factors associated with likelihood of using DTC testing for athletic ability to …

Threatened By The Outback: Landscape And Ecology In The Australian New Wave, Richard T. Dyer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Scholarship discussing the Australian outback as a cinematic setting often conceives of this space as sharing a “frontier iconography” with the American west. A significant element of this conception is attributed to the natural features of these setting’s respective landscapes, which are said to share an arid climate, rugged geologic formations, and vast open spaces. In this project I instead strive to challenge the associations frequently conjured between these natural spaces by identifying an ecological stance within the Australian “new wave” outback film that is at odds with the presentation of the landscape in both classical Hollywood westerns and the …

Promoting Hpv Vaccination With Vaccine-Hesitant Parents Using Social Media: A Formative Research Mixed-Method Study, Silvia Sommariva

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Vaccine hesitancy, the refusal or delay in complying with set immunization schedules, has been proclaimed one of the “ten threats to global health” by the World Health Organization in 2019. Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the importance of vaccine promotion and management of vaccine hesitancy. While anti-vaccine arguments have not surprisingly evolved much over the past decades, the speed at which those ideas spread has. Web-based technologies, such as social network sites (SNSs), provide a fertile ground for vaccine-related misinformation to spread. Therefore, SNSs are a primary channel to scale efforts to address vaccine hesitancy, using customized approaches. …

Assessing The Validity Of The Automatic Reinforcement Screening Assessment, Taylin Rhey Byerly

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Stereotypy is commonly observed in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). (Bodfish et al., 2000; Koegel & Covert, 1972) and vocal stereotypy has been found to impede skill acquisition and be socially stigmatizing (Gibbs et al., 2018; Liu-Gitz, & Banda, 2010;). Although vocal stereotypy is often maintained by automatic reinforcement (Ahearn et al., 2007), until recent years it was common practice to conduct a functional analysis consisting of multiple test conditions and at least one control condition (e.g., Iwata et al., 1982/1994) to identify its function. However, research suggests that a screening assessment (Querim et al., 2013) may be an …