Digital Commons Network^™

Teaching A Child To Tact Emotions And Evaluating In Situ Generalization, Kayla Crouch

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Children with autism can be disadvantaged socially by their difficulty recognizing emotions in others. This purpose of this study was to teach a 6-year-old child with ASD and emotion recognition deficits how to recognize the emotions of others via photos of facial expressions. A multiple baseline across emotions design was used. Photos of a variety of people were used to promote generalization and prompting, positive reinforcement, and error-correction procedures were implemented. The study effectively taught the participant to identify emotions based on photos of faces. The study also evaluated if learning to tact emotions via photos would generalize to in …

Pronk Poppenhuis: Establishing And Destabilizing Agency Among Seventeenth-Century Burgher Wives In The Dutch Republic, Emily M. Gregoire

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis shines novel light on the Dutch pronk poppenhuis, as a microcosm which models the simultaneously destabilization and establishment of agency among the Baroque burgher wives who commissioned them. Closely discussing seventeenth-century Dutch female ambitions, this article will explore the ways in which these housewives were both taught to behave appropriately in Dutch society and how they then displayed obedience to those values. I concurrently argue that the commissioning of and interaction with the pronk poppenhuis, particularly Pronk Poppenhuis De Patronella Dunois, simultaneously represents and perpetuates the growth of agency within the commissioner. This will be done through close …

Using Fine-Scale Aquatic Habitat Data To Construct Dreissenid Sdms In The Laurentian Great Lakes, Grace C. Henderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The invasion of the Laurentian Great Lakes by aquatic invasive species (AIS) has been the subject of investigation for decades, due to their dramatic alterations to the ecosystem and high economic costs. Two AIS with the largest impacts are dreissenid zebra and quagga mussels, and though these species have been studied extensively, questions remain about what factors control their distributions, and whether lake warming will alter these distributions. Species distribution models (SDMs) offer a powerful tool to examine the relationship between species presences and environmental variables, which are typically bioclimactic data. The creation of the Aquatic Habitat (AqHab) dataset containing …

The Need To Address Religious Diversity At Work: An All-Inclusive Model Of Spirituality At Work, Ivonne Valero Cázares

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses the importance of embracing religion and spirituality in the workplace as an aspect of workplace diversity. This document aims to help us understand the definition of spirituality at the workplace and its constituents.

We conducted a literature review from predominant scholars about the salience of spirituality and religion at the workplace and its relevance to building meaning, connectedness, and a sense of belonging. We will also review Maslow's theory of Human Needs, his research on human peak-experiences, and its correlation to self-actualization and transcendence.

We will present a new model of Spirituality and Religion at the workplace …

Case Study: Evaluating The Impact Of Preference On The Efficacy Of The High Probabilityinstructional Sequence, Alexandria Torres

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Non-compliance is a common behavior amongst children with ASD (Esch & Fryling, 2013). Non-compliance is known to have multiple negative consequences, including the hinderance of acquisition of skills which then can result in academic and social deficits (Belfiore et al., 2008; Esch & Fryling, 2013; Lee et al., 2006). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare two high-probability instructional sequence (HPIS) conditions, one in which highly preferred high-probability instructions (High-P) were included in the HPIS and another in which the HPIS included non-preferred High-P instructions. Furthermore, this study used a questionnaire to assess sociality validity of HPIS from …

Interpreting 9/11: Religious Or Political Event?, Fadime Apaydin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Terrorism or violence can be triggered by a variety of circumstances, including the religious, cultural, political, or economic conditions of the social environment, as well as the perpetrator’s personal characteristics. However, studies conducted in the aftermath of 9/11 have largely described the attacks as religious events, arguing that religion inherently causes violence or that religion is the main motivation for violence. The primary argument for the approach adopted by such studies is that secular institutions are inclined to be less violent than religious ones. A second approach, on the other hand, fundamentally opposes the arguments that led to describing the …

Moderators Of Cannibalism Among Herbivorous Insects, Christyn A. Geniesse

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cannibalism, or the killing and consumption of individuals of the same species, is historically regarded as uncommon among carnivores, but even more so among herbivorous, plant-eating animals. However, recently there is a rapidly growing literature on herbivorous insects, and here I conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of these new studies with the goals to synthesize what can moderate or promote cannibalism in this trophic group. After screening 3,791 candidate articles, I identified 50 studies that report manipulative experiments of cannibalism among herbivorous insects and found 20 different moderators—such as presence of predators, herbivore age, starvation status, temperature, and injury. …

Effects Of Acid Hydrolyzed Chitosan Derivatives On Mhv Infection, Krishna Sharma

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coronaviruses have recently been under significant scrutiny due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic that began in Wuhan, China, and subsequently spread to the rest of the world. Chitosan is a common chemical from crustaceans that has several desirable properties due to being biodegradable, non-toxic, and, most importantly, cheap. It also exhibits anti-viral properties, which is the focus of these experiments. We tested the toxicity of the chitosan on cell lines to see how much chitosan the cells can tolerate. We hydrolyzed the chitosan in acid, and the chitosan fibrils added cell lines to see if the anti-viral properties increased in …

The Hybridization Of Home: Establishing Place Between The Garrison And The Wilderness In Mary Rowlandson's (1682) Captivity Narrative, Brooke M. Weltch

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Scholarship surrounding captivity narratives long agrees that the psychological and philosophical beliefs of their authors lend insight into the contemporaneous hegemonic power structures through literary forms. Looking beyond these forms to the places they describe, however, illustrates the extent to which cultural perceptions infiltrate even the mere relationships that individuals have with their environment as well as the material structures surrounding them. I focus the role of place in Mary Rowlandson’s narrative, The Soveraignty and Goodness of God (1682). I argue that Rowlandson forms an attachment with the wigwam on account of her traumatic experiences while in captivity. Her displacement …

Impact Of Arginine Metabolism And Sensing In Mouse Models Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Chao Ma

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains the most common neurodegenerative disease in the central nervous system (CNS), with amyloidosis and tauopathy as their two main hallmarks. Typical AD pathologies include cerebral plaques deposited by amyloid-β, neurofibrillary tangles aggregated by tau, and neuroinflammation caused by activated brain myeloid cells. A critical theme is centered on impaired brain metabolism. Emerging evidence showed that impaired arginine metabolism was a novel biomarker pathway for AD. The manipulation of arginine metabolism by a critical enzyme arginase 1 (ARG1) in neurons indicated therapeutic benefits in alleviating tau pathology. Balanced cellular proteostasis was governed by the mechanistic target of …

Investigations Into The Improvement Of Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics, Austin W. Nenninger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a rare genetic neurodevelopmental disease caused by interruption of the function of the ubiquitin ligase UBE3A gene. Patients experience an early life onset of symptoms which include pronounced intellectual disability, drastic speech impairmentor inability to speak, severe movement disorders, seizures, aggression, disruptive sleep impairment, and unusual personality traits. Estimates of prevalence show that approximately 1:15000 births are affected.

The disease is severe, and the burden can be devastating to the patients and the caregivers that they require for the duration of their relatively normal lifespan. Current treatments for the disease are lacking. Many are expensive and …

Assessing Changes In Actual Air Quality And Public Perceptions Of Air Quality In Kathmandu Valley Nepal Pre And Post Covid-19 Lockdown, Robin Margherita Rives

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Air pollution is a global concern. Cities around the world fail to meet air quality standards set by the World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines, which has a significant impact on public health. As the capital city and largest metropolitan region of Nepal, Kathmandu is a hotspot for urban pollution in South Asia. Nepal faces emissions from both internal and external sources. External sources include emissions from Nepal’s neighboring countries of India and China and emissions resulting from tourism. Internal sources of pollution in the country include brick and cement factories, consumption of energy from traditional sources such as biomass, …

Role Of Bmi1 In Acute Lung Injury, María Helena Hernández-Cuervo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Acute Lung Injury (ALI) is a set of signs and symptoms that lead to acute hypoxemic respiratory failure characterized by bilateral pulmonary infiltrates not attributed to cardiogenic origin. It is caused by a massive innate immune response, with the migration of white blood cells (neutrophils and macrophages principally) and a cytokine storm, followed by alterations in mitochondrial function, increase in reactive oxygen species production, and oxidative stress that in turn induces more mitochondrial damage. Several studies have shown that mitochondrial alterations are key events in the mechanism of ALI and reducing mitochondrial dysfunction could be a possible target in the …

Quantitative Assessment Of The Trophic Ecology Of The Oceanic Ctenophore, Bolinopsis Infundibulum, In Monterey Bay, California, Victoria C. Scriven

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bolinopsis infundibulum is a wide-ranging, ubiquitous ctenophore whose fragile nature makes the collection of specimens and quantification of key predator-prey activities in controlled laboratory experiments, challenging. Thus, in situ methods often represent the best means for data collection. However, while present in surface waters, these animals can also be abundant at depths well beyond those attainable by divers. As a result, very little empirical data exist over the depth range of their natural habitats which limits our ability to assess key predator-prey interactions needed to assess their ecological role in midwater food webs. Working in Monterey Bay, California, remotely operated …

Anthropocene Fiction: Empathy, Kinship, And The Troubled Waters At The End Of The World, Megan Mandell Stowe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anthropocene literature features characters and environments grappling with the devastation of climate change. Donna Haraway’s term Chthulucene narrows this category further by exposing the tentacular connections between overpopulation, dependence on material goods, species loss, and other facets of global warming—such as water as a resource. Three novels of the Chthulucene exhibit these connections, centering on the importance of water to both ecologies and personal identity. As seen in the novels, place attachment brings ecology and identity together by forging a stewardship between person and location, often resulting in efforts to defend and preserve a place. In Octavia Butler’s Parable of …

Adrenergic Modulation Of Precursor Cells Of Ovarian Cancer, Sweta Dash

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ovarian cancer remains one of the most lethal gynecological cancer and ranks eighth in cancer-related mortality among women. The high mortality rate can be attributed to majority of the cases being diagnosed at advanced stages of the disease when the survival rate and overall prognosis are poor. There is lack of effective screening modalities to detect ovarian cancer at early stages. Hence, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms leading to ovarian cancer initiation is required.

Epidemiological studies have reported that conditions which cause chronic behavioral stress are associated with a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer. The activation of …

Determining The Role Of Dendritic Cells During Response To Treatment With Paclitaxel/Anti-Tim-3, Alycia Gardner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Intratumoral CD103+ dendritic cells (cDC1) are required for anti-tumor immune responses. In tumors that are poorly responsive to immunotherapeutic approaches targeting T cells, targeting cDC1 represents an alternative approach that may be useful in improving patient response rates. As such, it is critical to understand cDC1 function within tumors, and what may be preventing optimal function of cDC1. TIM-3 is a receptor that is highly expressed by cDC1 in murine and human mammary tumors, and TIM-3 blocking antibodies are currently being evaluated in clinical trials for a number of solid and hematological malignancies. In order to best design combinatorial therapeutic …

Characterizing The Impact Of Postharvest Temperature Stress On Polyphenol Profiles Of Red And White-Fruited Strawberry Cultivars, Alyssa N. Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

All living organisms have developed mechanisms that help them prevent internal stress and survive under harsh conditions. For fruits, specifically strawberries, stress is fought against primarily by increasing the synthesis of polyphenols, which are secondary plant metabolites with bioactive activity. Characterizing these bioactive compounds and the differences between strawberry cultivars can be vital for strawberry breeders. Furthermore, understanding the mechanisms that trigger the synthesis of polyphenols and their levels within different strawberry cultivars will provide breeders with tools to successfully identify cultivars with higher resistance to pre- and postharvest stressors. To gain that understanding, this study aimed to characterize the …

A Study Of Noise Exposures For Amusement Park Employees By Positions And Ride Categories, Danielle M. Dao

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Millions of workers in the United States encounter daily noise exposures in their workplace, associated with millions of dollars in workers compensation annually. Many industries have been well studied for the presence of hazardous noise, but little exposure data exists for the amusement park industry.Major attractions found at amusement parks fall within one of three categories and in each of those categories, five employee positions are common. This thesis sought to identify if there are differences in potential employee noise exposure among the ride types and if there are differences in noise exposure among the employee positions. The analysis of …

Effects Of Exogenous Ketone Therapy On Performance, Cardiorespiration, And Seizure Genesis During Exposure To Hbo2 In The Sprague Dawley Rat, Nicole M. Stavitzski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) is used for clinical HBO2 therapy and in undersea and aerospace medicine. HBO2 is a humanmade extreme environment and protracted exposures can cause several adverse physiological effects on the body. For example, HBO2 increases the partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) in the body leading to redox stress. Redox stress is, in part, a cause of oxygen toxicity that manifests as seizures in its most severe form (central nervous system oxygen toxicity, CNS-OT). This dissertation focuses on strategies to be employed specifically for the warfighter breathing HBO2. Currently, the only way to prevent CNS-OT is to lower the …

A Biocultural Analysis Of The Impacts Of Interactions Between West Africans And Europeans During The Trans-Atlantic Trade At Elmina, Ghana, Heidi Ellen Miller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project utilizes a biocultural approach to assess the demographics and health of the West African population from Elmina, Ghana. Elmina, selected by the Portuguese in 1482 as the site of the first European trade fort in sub-Saharan Africa, grew from a small coastal fishing village to a large settlement over the course of more than 400 years of trade and cultural entanglement. Taken over by the Dutch and then ceded to the British, the people of Elmina navigated significant cultural changes, changes and experiences that can be detected in their skeletal remains. Bioarchaeological research concerned with the effects of …

Remote Sensing And Gis Integration For Amazon Rainforest Wildfires Applications, Cong Ma

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Known as the “Lung of the world”, the Amazon rainforest produces more than 20% of the oxygen of the world, which was originally a carbon pool for mitigating climate change, but in recent years it has become a significant carbon emitter due to wildfires. In 2019, a large-scale fire occurred in the Amazon rainforest, causing serious damage to the ecosystem and to humans as well. Therefore, managing wildfires effectively has become an urgent task for fire authorities. This thesis tried to incorporate spatial analysis and spatial statistics approaches to study wildfire from two aspects, namely the temporal and spatial distribution …

Multifaceted Approach To Understanding Acinetobacter Baumannii Biofilm Formation And Drug Resistance, Jessie L. Allen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Acinetobacter baumannii is a multi-drug resistant nosocomial pathogen known for causing wound related- and respiratory-infections. It is currently on the WHO’s list of critical pathogens due to its broadly drug resistant nature and the constant appearance of pan-resistant isolates. A majority of the infections caused by this organism are biofilm associated, however there is limited existing knowledge regarding the mechanisms used to engage in this multicellular lifestyle. As such, we set out to explore the factors influencing this behavior using an 10,000+ isolate transposon mutant library of A. baumannii strain AB5075. Of the strains tested, 6.45% demonstrated some level of …

Privies As Portals: A Ceramic And Glass Bottle Analysis Of A Late 19th Century Household Privy In Ellenton, Fl, Shana Boyer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses ceramic and glass bottles recovered from a privy feature at the Gamble Plantation site to examine the manifestations of Victorian ideals and health practices of a wealthy white family living in Florida’s “pioneer” landscape. Through the analysis of these artifacts this thesis aims to understand the archaeology of status and consumption while evaluating how class can impact consumer behaviors. Artifacts for analysis were collected in the 2017 and 2018 field seasons using the systematic sampling method which led to the discovery of the privy feature at the end of the 2017 season. From the privy to the …

Contribution Of Retinal Ganglion Cells To Brown-Norway Rat Spatiotemporal Visual Perception And The Electroretinogram, Nicholas P. Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Retinal Ganglion Cells (RGCs) are the sole cells through which visual information is transmitted from the eye to the brain. As such, RGC dysfunction has a dramatic effect on vision and perception. Retinal neurodegenerative diseases, such as glaucoma, are one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. The study of these diseases requires well-characterized models in order to swiftly and effectively develop diagnostic tools and therapeutics. This dissertation aims to characterize specific properties of the visual system of the Brown-Norway rat. First, visual processing was evaluated in awake, freely moving rats. Contrast sensitivities of Brown-Norway rats were characterized by discrimination-driven …

Ubiquitous Yet Inconspicuous: Quantifying Trophic Impact Of A Widespread Oceanic Comb Jelly (Ctenophore), Elizabeth Potter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The oceanic lobate ctenophore Ocyropsis spp. has a widespread distribution throughout the world’s tropical and sub-tropical oceans. While patchy, Ocyropsis spp. population densities are known to exceed one individual per m3. Studies of coastal ctenophores have shown that some species are capable of exerting strong predatory impacts on their ecosystems, but little is known about the potential trophic impacts of their oceanic relatives. Many oceanic genera such as Ocyropsis, Bolinopsis, and Eurhamphaea exhibit morphologies and prey capture mechanisms that are different from the more well-studied coastal species. Thus, existing data on coastal taxa may not apply to oceanic species due …

A Multimodal Literacy Exploration: Lived Experiences Of Haitian Immigrant Adolescent Girls In The Bahamas, Natasha Swann

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the geographic landscape of our world increasingly changes, a constant migration is occurring, with people seeking refuge and asylum. Many of those seeking a better way of life are children and adolescents. It is important not only to consider and accommodate how children and adolescents develop and grow, but how they do so in a country that is not their home and with language and literacy practices that are often new to them. Adjusting and acculturating into host countries might compound issues youth experience during child and adolescence development. This study provided a space and a platform for immigrant …

Moving In Fluid: Exploring How Fishes Manipulate Water To Swim Efficiently, Nils B. Tack

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Moving through a dense fluid such as water presents some unique challenges to minimizing energy use and maximizing performance (i.e., speed). Due to animal-fluid interactions during swimming (drag and thrust production) fish have evolved a variety of morphological structures and locomotor mechanisms. For instance, fish rely on body bending and/or fins to interact with the surrounding water such that energy can be transferred to generate thrust. Typically, this synergy promotes morphologies and behaviors aimed at enhancing propulsive efficiency and/or minimizing metabolic activity to lessen the cost of transport (COT). This work focuses on quantifying the energetic and hydromechanical benefits of …

The Ecological Role Of Cassiopea In Shallow Mangrove Habitats, David Marcel Durieux

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Upside-down jellyfish, Cassiopea sp., can be locally abundant in shallow mangrove habitats throughout the tropics and subtropics. Unlike other jellyfish, Cassiopea sp. are epibenthic. Due to this unique lifestyle and their ability to achieve high population densities, an understanding is needed of their ecological impacts both individually and in aggregations, particularly given that Cassiopea sp. ranges are expanding poleward due to global climate change. We quantified the fluid flow produced by Cassiopea sp. feeding currents and found that an average-sized Cassiopea sp. can transport over 200 l/h of water in the vertical excurrent jet of their feeding current. Populations of …

Fighting Mass Diffusion Of Fake News On Social Media, Abdallah Musmar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fake news has been considered one of the most challenging problems in the last few years. The effects of spreading fake news over social media platforms are widely observed across the globe as the depth and velocity of fake news reach far more than real news (Vosoughi et al., 2018). The plan for the following dissertation is to investigate the mass spread of fake news across social media and propose a framework to fight the spread of fake news by mixing preventive methods that could hinder the overall percentage of fake news sharing. We plan to create a study on …