Health Professions Students’ Perceptions Of Medical Laboratory Scientists: Professional Practice And Scope Of Practice, Thomas W. Williamson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Medical Laboratory Scientists (MLSs) are vital yet often overlooked members of the healthcare team. This study investigated perceptions of MLSs among students in medicine, pharmacy, and nursing programs. Grounded in professional identity theory and literature on interprofessional stereotypes, the study utilized a quantitative survey distributed to 1,113 students, with 71 responses analyzed. Nine research questions explored differences in perceptions of MLSs’ professional practice, scope of practice, entry requirements, value as team members, and consultative roles. Results indicate students generally value MLSs as members of the healthcare team and acknowledge their contributions to patient care; however, their understanding is frequently restricted …

A Geometric Morphometric Analysis Of Acetabular Shape Variation Across Bat Families, Jordan L. Huff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bats are the only mammals capable of powered flight, and research is concentrated on this adaptation. Their non-flight locomotion has received comparatively little attention. Previous studies show that non-flight locomotor behaviors vary across families. Members of Pteropodidae are efficient climbers but cannot effectively walk, whereas Phyllostomidae and Vespertilionidae are better at terrestrial locomotion but show reduced arboreal capabilities. The non-flight locomotion of Hipposideridae and Rhinolophidae is less understood, although rhinolophids exhibit limited terrestrial locomotion. This study examined whether differences in locomotor behavior are associated with variation in acetabular morphology. A geometric morphometric analysis of acetabular shape was conducted across multiple …

Weathering More Than Storms: Understanding The Mental Health Disparities Of Black Farmers In The Appalachian Region, Aliyah Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black farmers in Appalachia represent a vital and historically marginalized population within one of America’s most economically distressed regions. Black farmers have endured generations of systemic racism, resulting in land loss, economic hardship, and mental stressors. This study examines the intersection of race, agriculture, and behavioral health to illustrate how structural barriers and cultural stigmas shape the mental well-being of Black farmers across Appalachia.

Findings from the analysis will guide the development of a conceptual model based on constructs from the Social-Ecological Model (SEM), Intersectionality Theory, and Critical Race Theory (CRT). This study will use Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) conducted …

An Exploration Of The Psychological Impacts Of Code-Switching, Cristina Culler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the lived experiences of four Black American adults who have frequently engaged in code-switching. Historically, code-switching has been perceived as a necessary skill that helps marginalized folx adopt the norms and practices of the dominant culture. As a result, code-switching has become a routine practice specifically for Black Americans who often occupy white spaces. Since code-switching has been perceived as a skill, the oppressive origins of code-switching often go unnoticed. Therefore, this dissertation examines code-switching through a critical lens that deems this practice a product of racist ideologies that prioritize whiteness. Through …

Microplastic Effect On Behavior Of Nudibranch (Berghia Stephanieae); A Trophic Transfer Study, Isabela Salina Fernandes Beneli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the continuous rise in economic supply and demand, an enormous increase in waste, litter, and pollution has been seen globally, with plastic pollution being the most abundant category. Microplastic (< 5 mm), derived from larger plastics, pollution is intensely widespread across marine ecosystems and can be transferred across trophic levels through predator-prey interactions. Recent studies have shown that ingestion of MPs can damage cells, tissues, and internal organs and increases oxidative stress leading to malformations, reduced feeding and growth, , and slower developmental rates in a wide array of organisms. This study examined the trophic transfer of microplastics (MPs) from the anemone Exaiptasia pallida to its specialist predator Berghia stephanieae, and evaluated the effects of exposure on predator behavior. A dose-response experiment demonstrated that MP retention in E. pallida decreased over time, although higher exposure concentrations resulted in greater initial microplastic concentrations. Trophic transfer to B. stephanieae was confirmed through feeding experiments. Behavioral assays revealed that B. stephanieae did not exhibit a preference between MP-exposed and control prey. However, microplastic …

Modeling Nonequilibrium Community Dynamics Of Bivalves In The Indian River Lagoon, Jada Lee Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Benthic infaunal communities are widely-used indicators for assessing estuarine health, especially in systems that experience frequent disturbances and hydrological fluctuations. However, using benthic infauna to predict ecosystem responses to future disturbances remains a challenge. The Indian River Lagoon (IRL), spanning 40% of Florida's east coast, is a prime example of a complex estuary that has experienced decades of hydrological alterations leading to reduced water quality, sediment composition, and biodiversity. To assess benthic bivalve community dynamics in response to disturbances, an emerging Empirical Dynamic Modeling (EDM) approach was applied to a large test dataset comprising 17 years of benthic bivalve abundances …

Establishing Thermal Bleaching Thresholds For Montastraea Cavernosa On Florida’S Coral Reef, Olivia Faris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Marine heatwaves are increasing in frequency and duration, with widespread bleaching events and mortality impacts observed on Florida’s Coral Reef. However, thermal bleaching thresholds for corals in Southeast Florida are not well established, limiting the ability to forecast or manage response to thermal stress events in the region. This study was designed to establish bleaching thresholds for Montastraea cavernosa, a reef-building stony coral, in Southeast Florida. Ex-situ experiments were conducted where triplicate M. cavernosa fragments of multiple genotypes were exposed to acute thermal stress or held at intermediate temperatures to simulate chronic stress. Thermal performance curves based on photosynthetic …

Ionophore-Based Plga Nanosensor For Selective Ion Detection And Imaging, Zhiyu Tang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Accurate detection of electrolyte ions is essential for biological research, disease diagnosis, and the investigation of cellular function. In this study, we developed ionophore-based PLGA nanosensors for the optical detection of biologically important ions. The nanosensors were prepared by encapsulating ionophores, chromoionophore III, and ion exchangers within PLGA nanoparticles. The resulting nanosensors showed uniform morphology, good colloidal stability, and concentration-dependent optical responses toward Na⁺, K⁺, and Ca²⁺ over the range of 10⁻⁶ to 10⁻¹ M. Reversible fluorescence responses under repeated ion concentration changes confirmed the stability and robustness of the sensors. The nanosensors also demonstrated reliable analytical performance for K⁺ …

Assessment Of Anaerobic Co-Digestion Of High Strength Organic Feedstocks Diverted From Landfills, Sumaiya Sharmin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increasing generation of high-strength organic wastes such as food waste and fats, oils, and grease (FOG) presents challenges for landfill capacity and waste management. Anaerobic co-digestion offers a sustainable alternative by converting these wastes into renewable energy and nutrient-rich digestate. This study evaluated the co-digestion performance of single fruit waste residuals and mixed food waste with wastewater sludge to identify substrate combinations that maximize methane production while maintaining process stability. Laboratory-scale batch experiments were conducted under mesophilic conditions using thickened waste activated sludge (TWAS) with varying proportions of food waste and co-substrates, including seaweed, aquatic weed, grease trap waste, …

Childbirth Experiences Of The Bangladeshi Immigrant Women In South Florida, Tahsina Ferdous

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research was conducted among Bangladeshi immigrant women living in South Florida who have given birth here. Twenty Bangladeshi immigrant women were selected using the snowball sampling method from various cities in South Florida. The unit of analysis was the individual Bangladeshi immigrant woman, focusing on her experiences and behavior during pregnancy and childbirth. Semi-structured interviewing and case study methods were used for data collection. The results reveal the coping strategies and the navigation process of socio-cultural transition from non-mother to mother, and the Bangladeshi traditional views regarding beliefs, rituals, and practices of Bangladeshi immigrant women regarding their pregnancy …

Physiological Impacts Of Plastic Ingestion On Sea Turtles, Heather Seaman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the years, plastic production has increased to astonishing numbers and is predicted to continue. Over time, environmental plastic will degrade into smaller pieces, which sea turtles can mistake for prey. Chemicals associated with plastics have been identified in tissues of sea turtles, and some are suspected to be endocrine disruptors. Sea turtles are known to ingest plastics, but more information is needed to illuminate the potential physiological impacts plastic chemicals may have on sea turtles. This study compared plastic ingestion and toxicant levels across species and ontogenically, as different species and life stages inhabit different areas which will influence …

Dynamical Pathways Of Fear And Anger: Testing The Predictive Validity Of The Basic Evaluation Process Framework, Maryana Borri Madeira

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study tested the predictive validity of the Basic Evaluation Process framework by examining whether Fear and Anger emerge as competing emotional attractors during threat appraisal. Using a mouse-tracking paradigm with audio recording, fifty participants reasoned aloud about a self-selected threatening situation while continuously rating their Fear and Anger. Cross-correlation analysis confirmed dynamic dependence between Fear and Anger, although the coupling was positive rather than negative, indicating co-activation rather than mutual suppression. Vector field analysis identified stable attractor structures for all participants, but the distribution of primary attractors across the Fear by Anger state space did not reveal a …

Enhancing Rapid Reef Resilience Through Transplantation Of Thermally Tolerant Corals In OʻAhu, HawaiʻI, Allison M. Klein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coral reefs are increasingly threatened by marine heatwaves, disease outbreaks, and other anthropogenic stressors, leading to widespread declines in coral cover worldwide. As a result, efforts are increasingly focused on identifying thermally tolerant corals for reef restoration. However, it remains unclear whether thermal tolerance is maintained following transplantation and whether thermally tolerant corals perform differently in novel environments. This dissertation examined thermal tolerance, survivorship, symbiont communities, and growth in two dominant Hawaiian reef-building corals, Montipora capitata and Porites compressa, using a reciprocal transplant experiment between Kāneʻohe Bay and Ulupaʻu, Oʻahu. Initial heat-stress assays showed high thermal tolerance in both …

Noisy Neighbors: Assessing The Effects Of Anthropogenic Noise On Non-Native Vervet Monkeys’ (Chlorocebus Sabaeus) Behavioral Responses Via Predator-Call Playbacks In Dania Beach, Florida, Jaela Perry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

South Florida hosts a number of non-native wildlife species, including African monkeys. This study examined wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus sabaeus) in Dania Beach, Florida, to determine whether aircraft-related atmospheric noise affected their threat detection capabilities and behavioral responses. Using predator-call playbacks and focal scan samples, behavioral data was recorded across pre-, during-, and post-playback phases. Behaviors were labeled as nonvigilant or vigilant. The study also assessed whether responses differed between the local and novel predator calls as well as whether repeated trials suggested habituation over the course of the experiment. Results showed that the monkeys’ abilities to successfully …

Hippocampal “Timing Interval Cells” Exhibit Scalable Dynamics For Explicit Timing, Kori-Anne Citrin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ability to organize experiences in time is fundamental to episodic memory and enables animals to predict and guide future behavior. Hippocampal time cells are thought to provide a neural representation for the temporal component of memory. However, time cells have been observed in working memory tasks where animals were not required to keep track of elapsed time. Therefore, it remains unclear what are the hippocampal patterns of activity during explicit timing. Here, utilizing behavioral perturbations and calcium imaging in dorsal CA1, we identified a previously unknown pyramidal neuron subpopulation that flexibly scales its activity during explicit timing. As head-fixed …

Evaluation Of Microwave Treatment Of Pfos-Laden Granular Activated Carbon, Rachel Melo Fonseca

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the microwave treatment as a potential regeneration approach for PFOS-laden granular activated carbon (GAC). PFOS was used as a model legacy PFAS, and calcium was selected to examine how inorganic constituents may influence PFAS loading and fluorine behavior during treatment. Microwave temperature profiling showed that GAC temperatures increased with treatment time and power level, reaching approximately 400-950°C. Selected microwave conditions reduced PFOS-derived extractable organic fluorine (EOF), with apparent EOF reduction increasing from 65.5% after 1 min to 96.8% after 4 min. Calcium increased PFOS-derived EOF loading before microwave treatment but did not show a consistent effect on …

Understanding The Experience Of Separation On The Substance-Exposed Mother-Infant Dyad, Tamara Lee Depascale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Maternal-infant separation following birth is a profoundly distressing experience that may have significant emotional, relational, and health implications for mothers with substance use disorders (SUD). Guided by Caring Science and Swanson’s Theory of Caring, the purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the dimensions of the health challenge associated with maternal-infant separation among mothers with SUD following birth and the approaches mothers used to navigate and respond to that experience. Data were collected through semi structured interviews with mothers who had experienced separation from their infants following birth and analyzed using deductive and inductive thematic analysis. Findings revealed …

Voices Of The Homeless: Phenomenological Portraits Of Parental Engagement Among Parents Experiencing Homelessness, Geneva Marie Winterbottom

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Family homelessness is a widespread crisis that disrupts the educational experiences of thousands of children, including South Carolina where rates of family homelessness continue to grow. Although research has explored families and homelessness, limited research has focused on the parental engagement of homeless parents. This study explored the parental engagement among homeless parents in South Carolina.

Guided by van Manen’s (1990) interpretive phenomenology, four parents residing in a South Carolina homeless shelter participated in semi-structured interviews and created self portraits, which were analyzed using the hermeneutic circle to derive phenomenological insight.

Findings revealed that parental engagement while homeless was like …

Material Affecting Design (Mad): How Living Biomaterials Reshape Computational Design Through Biological Transformation, Abolhassan Pishahang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Living biomaterials grow during fabrication, making strategy selection a design problem distinct from conventional form-making. This dissertation investigates how Pleurotus ostreatus mycelium and Triticum aestivum plant roots reshape the computational design process through their biological behavior. The central argument is that when a designer works with living matter, the material participates in forming, changing the decisions made, the strategies chosen, and the framework required. This relationship between biological transformation and computational design is named the Material Affecting Design (MAD) framework. The research was conducted through a research-through-design methodology grounded in American pragmatist philosophy, particularly the work of Dewey, James, and …

A Modest Proposal For Discourse Analysis In Nonbinary Communities: Method And Case Study, Nikoli Michael Daigneault

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While linguists have long used discourse analysis to study language variation in binary and nonnormative gender groups, nonbinary people have often been excluded from analyses or treated without a nonbinary-informed framework. Nevertheless, nonbinary language use can provide key insights into the relationship between gender and language. In this thesis, I propose Nonbinary Discourse Analysis, a set of recommendations and best practices for conducting discourse analysis in nonbinary communities. These methods are informed by previous empirical research on nonnormative gender identities and theoretical work in trans linguistics (Zimman, 2020) and trans epistemologies (Nordmarken, 2019; Raclaw, in press). To demonstrate the methodology, …

Movement And Distribution Dynamics Of Predatory Fishes In The St. Lucie Estuary, Sarah Fae Leonowicz Torre

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Estuaries are productive but highly variable ecosystems that support recreationally and commercially valuable fisheries, as well as species of conservation concern. However, coastal development, habitat loss, altered freshwater inflow, and declining water quality can modify the environmental gradients that structure fish distributions. In the St. Lucie River and southern Indian River Lagoon, located in southeast Florida, managed freshwater discharges, watershed runoff, shoreline modification, and degradation of essential fish habitats (e.g., seagrass, oyster, and mangrove forests) have altered estuarine conditions.

This dissertation evaluates how four estuarine fish species with contrasting life histories respond to environmental variability, hydrologic disturbance, and habitat structure …

Sophisticated Song: Exploring The Evolution And Ontogeny Of Large Repertoires And Syntax Usage In The Bachman’S Sparrow (Peucaea Aestivalis), Heather Jean Wolverton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While humans have the most complex vocal communication system, many of the features that make human language so intricate can be found in other taxa. One building block of language commonly studied in animal communication is syntax, or the organization of vocalizations. Birds, wolves, and cetaceans all display complex vocal signaling that utilizes syntax. Understanding how syntax functions in different taxa can help illuminate the evolution and development of human language and the role it plays in social cognition. The Bachman’s sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis) is a species of songbird that utilizes syntax in the form of preferred transitions …

Auditor Trust In Artificial Intelligence, Michael L. Decker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Accounting firms are investing in, and advocating for, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in audit procedures. This dissertation attempts to determine what factors may lead to auditors trusting an AI system. Established models of trust show that traits of the individual user, the system, and the situation all have effects on trust. Prior accounting research also indicates that professional skepticism is an important trait in auditors. This dissertation adds professional skepticism into an established trust model and uses Structural Equation Modeling to investigate auditor trust in audit evidence prepared by an AI system. My results indicate that the most …

Risk, Trust, And Medical Decision-Making: Perinatal Care Among Patients And Providers In South Florida, Isabella Viera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how structural inequality shapes the experience of perinatal care among pregnant individuals and healthcare providers in South Florida, with particular attention to how risk is perceived and communicated, how trust between patients and providers is built or eroded, and how medical decision-making unfolds under conditions of structural vulnerability. Drawing on multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork conducted between October 2025 and April 2026, supplemented by a quantitative analysis of low-birth-weight rates across all 67 Florida counties, the project analyzes how risk is defined, communicated, and lived across community-based prenatal organizations, online educational platforms, and in-depth provider and patient interviews. The …

Examining The Moderating Roles Of Religious Coping And Belonging In The Relationship Between Moral Injury, Depression, Anxiety, And Stress Within The Israeli Defense Forces Reservist Soldiers, Rotem Z. Moshe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the moderating roles of religious coping and belonging in the relationship between moral injury and psychological distress, among Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reservist soldiers. This study investigated whether religious coping predicted moral injury, depression, anxiety, and stress, and examined whether religious coping and belonging moderated the relationship between moral injury and psychological distress. Exposure to potentially morally injurious events during military service is associated with increased risk for adverse mental health effects, particularly in times of prolonged conflict. Research on protective factors that mitigate these outcomes remains limited. Pointed by religious coping and belongingness frameworks, this study …

Design And Fpga Deployment Of Quantized Convolutional Spiking Neural Networks For Ecg Arrhythmia Classification, Olamilekan Banjo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wearable ECG monitors enable continuous cardiac surveillance, yet most remain limited to basic heart rate metrics or coarse atrial fibrillation detection, relying on cloud-based analysis that introduces latency, connectivity dependence, and battery drain. Deploying advanced multi-class arrhythmia classification directly on-device is constrained by the tight memory, power, and computational budgets of wearable hardware. This dissertation presents a Quantized Convolutional Spiking Neural Network (QCSNN) for real-time ECG arrhythmia detection on edge hardware, developed across three progressive phases.

Phase 1 introduces a separately trained two-stage QCSNN architecture — a binary classifier cascaded with a four-class classifier — trained directly via surrogate gradient …

A Perspective As Observed By Public Middle School Teachers On A Lack Of Empathy Demonstrated By Public Middle School Students, Gail P. Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore a perspective as observed by public middle school teachers on a lack of empathy demonstrated by public middle school students. The research analyzed how public middle school teachers in the southern region of Texas described their perception of how a lack of empathy demonstrated by public middle school students impacted students during the school day. The study involved 10 selected participants who participated in a semistructured open-ended interview on the Google Meet platform. The participants consisted of 90% female and 10% male, with a combined total of 91 years of …

Social Complex Systems In Virtual Thirdspaces Of Global Education: Sites Of Structural Inequalities And Radical Pedagogical Possibilities, José Luis Figarotti Jimenez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and Virtual Exchange (VE) are celebrated as democratizing tools fostering intercultural understanding, this techno-utopian narrative obscures a complex reality: the virtual classroom is a contested social field where global inequalities are reproduced and amplified. This dissertation interrogates this paradox, exploring how structural inequalities, digital divides, and epistemic hierarchies are negotiated within the Virtual Thirdspace of global education. Integrating Structural Inequalities (Galtung, 1969; Farmer, 2004; Tilly, 1998; and Young, 2008), Critical Environmental Justice (Pellow, 2018), Intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989), World-Systems Analysis (Wallerstein, 1974), and Thirdspace theory (Soja, 1996), the study examines this terrain as both a …

Supporting The Wellbeing Of Multilingual Learners A Case Study On Secondary Teachers’ Use Of Transformative Social Emotional Learning Practices, Jaclyn Sparks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study investigated how bilingual and monolingual English-speaking teachers support the wellbeing of Multilingual Learners (MLs) and which aspects of Transformative Social Emotional Learning (TSEL) these teachers perceive themselves incorporating with MLs. Data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group. Data analysis was conducted using open coding, axial coding, and constant comparative methods.

Findings indicate that teachers support MLs’ wellbeing by creating inclusive environments through intentionally planned lessons that center equitable opportunities for MLs to engage with the content. Furthermore, teachers perceive to utilize decolonizing practices to make the curriculum accessible for MLs. This …

The Palm Farm Next-Door: Land Concessions, Livelihoods, And Nutrition In Plantation-Adjacent Communities, Julia Entwistle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Large-scale land concessions have reshaped agrarian landscapes globally, yet their implications for community land tenure, livelihoods, and nutrition remain unevenly understood. This dissertation examines how plantation agriculture and foreign investment have transformed land access, labor relations, and food systems in Liberia, a country with one of the highest proportions of land under concession globally. Guided by a political ecology framework, the study employs a mixed-methods design integrating policy analysis, in-depth interviews, and household surveys across two palm oil concession sites. The findings show that ambiguous land policies historically facilitated dispossession, while recent legal reforms have enabled communities to strategically mobilize …