Digital Commons Network^™

Defining A Factor-Induced Signaling Signature For Endothelial Tubulogenesis, Sprouting, And Pericyte Recruitment, Prisca Kuanting Lin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Endothelial cells (ECs) form the inner lining of blood capillary walls. Our laboratory has developed a serum-free, defined Factor system that allows for human ECs to sprout, form lumens and tube networks, recruit pericytes, and induce capillary basement membrane deposition in 3D extracellular matrices. We have shown that the Factor system drives morphogenesis through the activation of multiple signaling pathways; however, we do not know if all factors in the Factor system are needed to induce maximal EC morphogenesis. If so, we have yet to identify why the Factors are critical to the model other than that they induce activation …

An Indispensable Spice In Multicultural Hatay Cuisine: Sumac, Ibrahim Cekic

Journal of Mediterranean Tourism Research

Hatay is an ancient city that has hosted dozens of civilizations in the history. Today, this city, which includes different ethnic groups, has a rich culinary culture shaped by cultural interactions. Spices are among the basic components of this cuisine. Locust powder, nutmeg, mahaleb, fennel, dried basil, cajun, Samandag’s red chili powder, zahtar, and sumac are among the most used spices in Hatay cuisine. This study was carried out to determine the traditional consumption patterns and uses of sumac, which is one of the spices identified with the gastronomic identity of Hatay. In this context, a semi-structured interview form consisting …

Examination Of Domestic Tourists’ Awareness And Attitude Towards Halal Food According To Demographic Variable: The Gaziantep Example, Adem Ademoglu

Journal of Mediterranean Tourism Research

Religion and belief which are among the intangible cultural elements play an essential role in shaping consumer behavior. Among these behaviors, individuals’ increasing religious sensitivity within the context of eating and drinking in particular necessitates the food they consume to be in concordance with religious values. From this point of view, it is envisioned that individuals’ demographic characteristics will cause differences in food consumption demands in accordance with their religiousness values. The purpose of this study is to determine the role of demographic variables in the awareness towards halal food consumption and attitude towards halal food. Moreover, another purpose of …

Resource Recovery From Crew Metabolic Wastes In Lunar And Martian Habitats: Reuse Of Effluent From An Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor Treating Fecal Organic Matter As Fertilizer Source For Plants, Alexandra A. Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As humans set their sights on exploration of the Moon and Mars human focused challenges like providing potable water, supplying nutritious food to the astronaut crew, and managing their waste present themselves. There are no readily available resources on the Moon and Mars, therefore nothing should be considered unusable including the organic wastes (i.e., feces and urine) produced by the crew. Fecal matter is not currently recycled and is treated as solid waste. After collection, it is discarded out of the International Space Station where it is incinerated upon re-entry. This approach will not work on the Moon’s surface. There …

Anaerobic Digestion Of Brewery Waste Including Spent Yeast And Hops, Dhanashree Rawalgaonkar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Florida is home to more than 300 craft breweries, that brew over a million barrels of beer annually. Brewing is an energy intensive process and produces large quantities of high strength waste including spent grains, yeast, hops, and high strength wastewater. Brewery wastewater, and spent yeast have high Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) concentrations between 5000 mg/L – 10,000 mg/L, and 200,000 mg/L – 300,000 mg/L respectively. Brewery effluent wastewater is sent to Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) which implement high surcharges based on the strength of brewery effluent (COD concentration). While some of the spent yeast and hops can be …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Service Access For Children And Adolescents With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities Across Florida, Alyssa N. Hanley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Businesses worldwide closed to lessen the spread of the virus. Due to an increased need for specialized services compared to the general population, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) may have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 shutdowns. Without access to schools and centers where services are provided, therapeutic progress was halted. Services, such as special education, occupational therapy, and physical therapy, were paused, impacting access and maintenance for individuals with I/DD. In addition, services that continued did so using modified delivery methods such as telehealth. To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 …

“I’M Still Suffering”: Mental Health Care Among Central African Refugee Populations In The Tampa Bay Area, C. Danee Ruszczyk

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An estimated 500 Central African refugee families have been resettled in the Tampa Bay Area since 2002 (RPC, 2022). The cycles of trauma that they have endured place them in vulnerable positions regarding their mental health. Struggling to exist within underfunded social programs that are rigid in their expectations and with the current system of reactive care vs preventative care, the refugees in Tampa are put in a difficult situation of navigating their own health and wellbeing in lieu of having the full support of the United States government and their community. I will discuss how these refugees experience and …

Threats To School Safety: Examining Levels Of Community Violence And Its Relation To School-Related Threats, Dorie Ross

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite significant media attention provided to school-based acts of violence, these tragic incidents are relatively rare across school environments, leading to increasing challenges in identifying students who may pose a threat. Previous approaches to school discipline, including policies such as zero tolerance, resulted in significant racial disparities among students who received disciplinary consequences inconsistent with the severity of their behaviors or threats. Alternatively, a relatively recent approach that emerged following a series of school shootings in the 1990s was school threat assessment, which focuses on prevention rather than prediction. While it is important to determine students who may pose a …

The Influence Of Obesity And Lifestyle Factors On Cognition In Middle-Aged And Older Adults, Andrew J. Fiscella

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Obesity has been linked to conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. While the relationship of these conditions with obesity is well-established, the relationship between obesity and cognitive function is murkier.

Study 1 examined the association between being overweight or obese and performance on tests of executive function and episodic memory. The possibility that overweight/obesity affects cognition differently in middle vs. older age was also examined. Data from 6,012 participants in the 2018 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were used. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference were used as overweight/obesity measures. Neither BMI (p = .809) …

The Physical Activity Of Spanish Speleologists: Accomplishment Of Recommendations And Differences By Sociodemographic Variables, Miquel Pans, Laura Antón-González, Maite Pellicer-Chenoll

International Journal of Speleology

Outdoor adventure activities are becoming more popular due to their potential health benefits, although there is little scientific information on speleology as a physical activity (PA). The purpose of this study is to expand the scientific evidence in this field in two ways: (a) describe the PA performed by speleologists, taking into account the variables of interest such as gender, age, education, speleological level, participation in ‘Alpine’ explorations and body mass index (BMI) and (b) identify how far the World Health Organization’s (WHO) PA recommendations were accomplished (i.e.,150 min of moderate-intensity aerobic PA or 75 min of vigorous-intensity aerobic). A …

Do Firms Overreact To The Enactment Of Corporate Laws: Evidence From Anti-Price Gouging Laws, Mario Marshall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The enactment of state corporate laws increases attention to issues related to price fairness.I present evidence that firms become less efficient in generating margins but not revenue upon enacting anti-price gouging laws. This finding is consistent with a prediction of salience theory that increased attention to unfair pricing induces firms to adopt more conservative pricing strategies. I provide evidence that companies that are more sensitive to unfair pricing risks have larger changes in efficiency. The results are consistent with the salience theory of choice and imply that attention that corporate laws generate may substantially impact firms.

Gnsi Policy Dialogues: Hunger As A Weapon, Arman Mahmoudian, Funmi Odumosu, Tad Schnaufer Ii

GNSI Conference Reports

First GNSI Policy Dialogues Conference

May 24, 2023

University of South Florida

Gnsi Decision Brief: Hunger As A Weapon, Tad Schnaufer, David Himmelgreen

GNSI Decision Briefs

Overview

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs places physiological needs as the foundation of all others.i The needs of food, water, and shelter are referred to as objects indispensable to survival (OIS). A person will think of little else until these basic needs are met, hence the power OIS have over populations. The concept of hunger as a weapon dates to the beginning of written history with Homer’s Iliad describing the siege of Troy. In war, military leaders often consider foodstuffs as it relates to their war effort while analyzing ways to use this basic need against their foe. As the quote …

Developing A Silvopastoral System For Use In Pará, Brazil, Laurel Kerkman

USF St. Petersburg campus Honors Program Theses (Undergraduate)

Land use changes brought on by agriculture are responsible for both a significant portion of climate change and emissions from livestock. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are released from land degradation and deforestation as diverse ecosystems are turned into pastures. Brazil, which ranks among the top four in the world for food production, is a hotspot for agriculture-related deforestation. Currently, Brazil is the largest exporter of beef in the world, which has put a strain on the environment as natural resources are destroyed in order to make room for industry. This thesis looks at and suggests silvopastoral farming systems …

Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Immigration-Related Stressors, Pregnancy, Birth, And Post-Partum Experiences Of Women Living Along The Us-Mexico Border, Isabela Solis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic coupled with immigration-related stressors had a profound effect on women who lived on the U.S.-Mexico border and their pregnancy, birth, and post-partum experiences. This project focused the experiences of 17 women living in El Paso, Texas and how border closure, economic insecurities, and family separation during the COVID-19 pandemic shaped women’s experiences. This research included interviewing maternal and child health experts to propose recommendations geared towards policy change. Finally, this project highlights the vast complexities that go into the pregnancy, birth, and post-partum period for women living on the U.S.-Mexico border, and how these experiences shape maternal …

“They’Re Still Trying To Wrap Their Head Around Forever”: An Anatomy Of Hope For Spinal Cord Injury Patients, William A. Lucas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation draws on ethnographic data to investigate the nature of spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation in Central Florida, using participant observation and interview data to understand how people with SCI (pwSCI) conceptualize their own disabilities after experiencing such radical alterations in their subjectivities. Using case studies and ethnographic vignettes, it argues that the extreme double binds in which pwSCI find themselves (where they are personally ordinarily disabled and socially extraordinarily novel; and where they are enabled resources to pursue “hopeful” therapy modalities while being designated as hopelessly disabled) is further polarized by the various legislative regimes of truth in …

Diet And Salivary Microbiome On Cardiovascular Risk And Glycemic Control In Participants With And Without Type 1 Diabetes: The Cacti Study, Tiantian Pang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: The prevalence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) has been increasing drastically in the United States. People with T1DM are at a higher risk of developing diabetes-related complications, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). Diet is one of the most modifiable factors and healthy eating could reduce CVD risk among individuals with T1DM. The current 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans focus on overall healthy eating patterns rather than individual foods and nutrients. A healthy dietary pattern or high-quality diet can be measured by diet quality indexes, and generally contains minimal ultra-processed foods (UPF). Although substantial evidence has linked poor diet quality …

Young Adult Cancer Patients And Survivors’ Adherence To Healthy Eating And Physical Activity Guidelines, Sandra Soca Lozano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many Adolescents and Young Adult (AYA) cancer patients/survivors do not engage in healthy eating and physical activity recommendations. The present study assessed the role of race/ethnicity, health literacy, and home environmental influences and its association with adherence to healthy eating and physical activity. AYA patients/survivors from Moffitt Cancer Center (n = 273) completed an anonymous online survey. Self-reported measures about eating habits, physical activity, health literacy, and social support were used. Black/African Americans reported worse eating habits than White and Hispanic participants. Obese participants showed a similar trend compared to all other Body Mass Index groups. Adherence to physical activity …

Social Media And Women Empowerment In Nigeria: A Study Of The #Breakthebias Campaign On Facebook, Deborah Osaro Omontese

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines how the March 2022 #BreakTheBias campaign on Facebook was used as an empowerment platform in Nigeria, where women experience gender disparity. Research on the role of social media in women’s empowerment in Nigeria is an area that has not been fully studied. Previous studies have looked at women’s empowerment mainly through an educational or political lens, neglecting how social media have also been effective in empowering women. Other researchers have studied how women utilize social media platforms for leisure, entertainment, and media sharing. In the present study, non-probability sampling was used to identify 20 posts that convey …

Covid-19 In Bangladesh: A Systematic Review Of The Literature From March 2020 To March 2021, Md. Shahin Parvez, Md. Al-Mamun, Md. Anisur Rahaman, Sheuli Akter, Kaniz Fatema, Halimatus Sadia, Anika Intesar

Journal of Global Business Insights

COVID-19 has undoubtedly absorbed the global public's angst. It has quickly disturbed global life and will have long-term and short-term consequences on several sectors. This comprehensive review study's goal is to discover what research has been done in a year since the beginning of coronavirus in Bangladesh. Consequently, the current study examined the pervasiveness and affiliation of social and economic issues, health and psychological issues and individual perceptions, key challenges, strategies and policy systems, public health, online education, agriculture and food security, criminal activities related to outbreaks, Rohingya refugee issues, and the quality of domestic violence behaviors. The review used …

Human Relationship With Nature, Indigenous Ways Of Living And Regenerative Tourism Framework, Asif Hussain

Journal of Sustainability and Resilience

In the post Covid-19 era, human civilisation appears to undergo a significant shift in social-ecological consciousness and an emerging concept of ‘regenerative tourism’ is getting popular. The concept acknowledges the strong linkages between humans and nature and together special conditions are created for life to renew and restore itself. While indigenous people have always been aware of their actions and their impacts on the socio- ecological environments, the scientific community has started to acknowledge indigenous knowledge and ways of living. and integrated intelligence. The key aspect of the indigenous lifestyle is the linkages with physical and social environments where humans …

2023 Annual Undergraduate Research Conference Program, Usf Office Of High Impact Practices And Undergraduate Studies

USF Tampa Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Identification Of Two M20b Family Peptidases Required For Full Virulence In Staphylococcus Aureus, Nathanial James Torres, Devon Rizzo, Maria A. Reinberg, Mary-Elizabeth Jobson, Brendan C. Totzke, Jessica K. Jackson, Wenqi Yu, Lindsey Neil Shaw

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

We have previously demonstrated that deletion of an intracellular leucine aminopeptidase results in attenuated virulence of S. aureus. Herein we explore the role of 10 other aminopeptidases in S. aureus pathogenesis. Using a human blood survival assay we identified mutations in two enzymes from the M20B family (PepT1 and PepT2) as having markedly decreased survival compared to the parent. We further reveal that pepT1, pepT2 and pepT1/2 mutant strains are impaired in their ability to resist phagocytosis by, and engender survival within, human macrophages. Using a co-infection model of murine sepsis, we demonstrate impairment of dissemination and survival …

Exploring The Mechanisms By Which Camel Lactoferrin Can Kill Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium And Shigella Sonnei, Hussein A. Almehdar, Nawal Abd El-Baky, Ehab H. Mattar, Raed S. Albiheyri, Atif Bamagoos, Abdullah A. Aljaddawi, Vladimir N. Uversky, Elrashdy M. Redwan

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

There is a continuously increasing pressure associated with the appearance of Salmonella enterica Serovar typhimurium (S. typhimurium) and Shigella sonnei (S. sonnei) that have developed pathogenic multiple antibiotic resistance and the cost of cure and control of these enterobacteriaceae infections increases annually. The current report for first time demonstrated the distinguished antimicrobial action of camel lactoferrin (cLf) obtained from the milk of different clans of camel in Saudi Arabia against S. typhimurium and S. sonnei. These cLf subtypes showed comparable antimicrobial potential when tested against the two bacterial strains but were superior to either bovine (bLf) …

Yield And Composition Variations Of The Milk From Different Camel Breeds In Saudi Arabia, Amr A. El-Hanafy, Yasser M. Saad, Saleh A. Alkarim, Hussein A. Almehdar, Fuad M. Alzahrani, Mohammed A. Almatry, Vladimir N. Uversky, Elrashdy M. Redwan

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

With the increasing interest in the identification of differences between camel breeds over the last decade, this study was conducted to estimate the variability of milk production and composition of four Saudi camel breeds during different seasons. Milk records were taken two days per week from females of Majahem, Safra, Wadha, and Hamra breeds distributed over Saudi Arabia. The milk yield during winter indicated that the weekly average of the Wadha breed was significantly lower (27.13 kg/week) than Majahem and Hamra breeds. The Safra breed had the lowest milk yield (30.7 kg/week) during summer. During winter, the Hamra breed had …

Microalgal Cultivation Characteristics Using Commercially Available Air-Cushion Packaging Material As A Photobioreactor, Clifford R. Merz, Neha Arora, Michael Welch, Enlin Lo, George P. Philippidis

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Air-cushion (AC) packaging has become widely used worldwide. ACs are air-filled, dual plastic packaging solutions commonly found surrounding and protecting items of value within shipping enclosures during transit. Herein, we report on a laboratory assessment employing ACs as a microalgal photobioreactor (PBR). Such a PBR inherently addresses many of the operational issues typically encountered with open raceway ponds and closed photobioreactors, such as evaporative water loss, external contamination, and predation. Using half-filled ACs, the performance of microalgal species Chlorella vulgaris, Nannochloropsis oculata, and Cyclotella cryptica (diatom) was examined and the ash-free dry cell weight and overall biomass productivity determined …

Perinatal Depression And Implementation Of The “Thinking Healthy Program” Support Intervention In An Impoverished Setting Of Lima, Peru: Assessment Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Margot Aguilar, Carmen Contreras, Giuseppe Raviola, Alejandra Sepúlveda, Maricielo Espinoza, Leydi Moran, Lourdes Ramos, Jesús Peinado, Leonid Lecca, Gloria A. Pedersen, Brandon A. Kohrt, Jerome T. Galea

Social Work Faculty Publications

Socios En Salud (SES) implemented the Thinking Healthy program (THP) to support women with perinatal depression before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lima Norte. We carried out an analysis of the in-person (5 modules) and remote (1 module) THP intervention. Depression was detected using PHQ-9, and THP sessions were delivered in women with a score (PHQ-9 ≥ 5). Depression was reassessed and pre- and post-scores were compared. In the pre-pandemic cohort, perinatal depression was 25.4% (47/185), 47 women received THP and 27 were reassessed (57.4%), and the PHQ-9 score median decreased from 8 to 2, p < 0.001. In the pandemic cohort, perinatal depression was 47.5% (117/247), 117 women received THP and 89 were reassessed (76.1%), and the PHQ-9 score median decreased from 7 to 2, p < 0.001. THP’s modalities helped to reduce perinatal depression. Pregnant women who received a module remotely also reduced depression.

Editorial: Noncommunicable Diseases And Mental Health Experiences Before And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Rahul Shidhaye, Annika C. Sweetland, Jerome T. Galea, Mir Nabila Ashraf, Malay K. Mridha, Hannah Maria Jennings, Aliya Naheed

Social Work Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Peri-Urbanization On Coastal Sage Scrub Ant Species In Baja California, Alejandro E. Mieles, Margaret A. Voss, Estelí Jiménez-Soto

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Increasing urbanization on the Baja California Peninsula threatens ant diversity. Reductions in ant species diminish ecosystem services provided to semiarid coastal scrub areas. Peri-urban areas in particular are at high risk of reductions in ant biodiversity due to development. To document and evaluate ant species diversity and richness in a rapidly developing area, nine sites were sampled within areas of coastal sage scrub (CSS) encircling the urban periphery of Ensenada, Baja California. Forty species and 17 genera of ants were collected, only one of which was non-native. Although the sampled area represents less than 1% of the peninsula and 3% …

The Weekly Challenger, December 22, 2022, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The December 22, 2022, issue of The Weekly Challenger.