Digital Commons Network^™

Self-Protection In Cyberspace: Assessing The Processual Relationship Between Thoughtfully Reflective Decision Making, Protection Motivation Theory, Cyber Hygiene, And Victimization, C. Jordan Howell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study, using structural equation modeling, assesses the processual relationship between thoughtfully reflective decision making (TRDM), theoretical constructs derived from protection motivation theory (PMT), cyber hygiene, and online victimization to determine the cognitive decision-making process that leads to the adoption of online self-protective behaviors, which reduces the occurrence of victimization experiences. Findings, derived from a general sample of Internet users in the United States, reveal: (1) engagement in cyber hygiene practices, as a form of target hardening, decreases Internet users’ experiences with online victimization; (2) thoughtfully reflective decision makers, in the face of cyber threats, develop higher threat appraisals …

Arab Undergraduate Students' Perceptions Of Their Transition To Learn Mathematics In English In The United States, Annetta Hastings

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The number of students who choose to pursue higher education outside their home country has continued to grow, and one of the most popular international destinations is the United States. International students, whose home language is not English, can find this educational opportunity to be academically challenging. Institutions of higher learning can admit international students and expect them to adjust to the linguistic, cultural, and social differences in a new educational system without appropriate support. To better support international students in undergraduate mathematics, researchers have focused on how language and culture affect mathematical understanding (Barton & Neville-Barton, 2003; Durand-Guerrier et …

Evaluating The Use Of An Interdependent Group Contingency In Online Graduate Courses To Increase Engagement, Tiana Evans

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Enrollment in online academic programs has increased substantially in recent years (Allen & Seaman, 2011) and is especially relevant due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Khalil et al., 2020). Peer interaction and engagement opportunities are strategies associated with course satisfaction, test performance, and grades and should be incorporated into online courses (Conaway et al. 2005). Group contingencies have been commonly studied in face-to-face classrooms and have been found to be effective intervention in changing target behavior in elementary and secondary education settings (Barrish et al., 1969; Deshais et al., 2019; Harris & Sherman, 1973; Mitchell et al. 2015; Wiskow et al., …

Moving Science To Practice: Exploring Implementation Practice Capacity In Community Settings, Enya B. Vroom

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Due to the significant prevalence of mental and substance use disorders in the United States, the push for the development and implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) has grown exponentially in the last 30 years. Community-based organizations (CBOs) (i.e., self-governing and/or not-for profit) have been identified as significant providers of behavioral health services. However, there are gaps in the literature surrounding CBO implementation capacity, meaning their ability to adopt, implement, and sustain EBPs. There is a need for more research examining capacity training initiatives that specifically target CBOs and implementation practice. The purpose of this dissertation research was to investigate how …

Behavior Analytic Interventions For Promoting Skill Acquisition In Individuals With Asd: Two Case Studies, Taylor Marie Comber

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This report describes two case studies that used behavior analytic interventions to promote skill acquisition during structured instructional activities for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The first study examined the effects of presession pairing (PSP) implemented by a teacher in the natural classroom setting for a 6-year-old with ASD whose problem behavior was associated with gaining access to attention and escaping from task demands. Results showed PSP augmented with a visual cue resulted in increased on-task behavior and decreased disruptive behavior. The second study examined the use of discrete trial training (DTT) for a 16-year-old female adolescent with ASD …

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 …

Longitudinal Trajectory Tracking Analysis For Autonomous Electric Vehicles Based On Pid Control, Hossein Amiri

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The implementation of autonomous vehicles has huge potential for revolutionizing transportation as we currently know it. All use cases of autonomous vehicles require the vehicle to travel on a pre-specified path. Accurate tracking of this defined trajectory is a crucial aspect of the implementation of autonomous vehicles; a controller system is required to translate this pre- defined trajectory in the form of the throttle, brake, and steering inputs. This project covers the application of a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller to achieve longitudinal trajectory tracking of autonomous electric vehicles with stability and accuracy in the CARLA autonomous driving simulation platform. The implemented …

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 …

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 …

Defining Codes Based On The Consolidated Framework For Implementation Research In The Context Of The Implementing Universal Lynch Syndrome Screening, Jasmine A. Burton-Akright

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lynch syndrome (LS) is the most common hereditary cause of both colorectal cancer (CRC) and endometrial cancer (EC). Universal tumor screening (UTS) of newly diagnosed EC and CRC patients has been shown to be both an effective and economical approach to identify patients with LS and subsequently reduce future cancer s for patients and their family members. Despite its efficacy, LS UTS has not been consistently adopted across hospital systems and existing programs vary widely in their structure and execution. The Implementing Universal Lynch Syndrome Screening (IMPULSS) study aims to determine the critical factors necessary for successful implementation of LS …

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 …

“Just Joking”: Women’S Cardiovascular Responses To Sexist Humor, Samantha Shepard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ambiguity inherent to humorous communication may make women minimize experiences of sexist jokes, which may have downstream emotional and motivational consequences. The present thesis study tested whether the manner in which sexism is communicated, as a statement or joke, would reflect the motivational intensity model in cardiovascular responses during a performance-based task. Additionally, the present studies tested whether blatant and humorous sexism differentially affects emotional responses, evaluations of a male speaker, reporting of sexist misconduct, and ingroup identification. Using an online chat paradigm, participants were randomly assigned to receive one of three messages: a sexist joke, blatantly sexist statement, …

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 …

Strategies In Botnet Detection And Privacy Preserving Machine Learning, Di Zhuang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Peer-to-peer (P2P) botnets have become one of the major threats in network security for serving as the infrastructure that responsible for various of cyber-crimes. Though a few existing work claimed to detect traditional botnets effectively, the problem of detecting P2P botnets involves more challenges. In this dissertation, we present two P2P botnet detection systems, PeerHunter and Enhanced PeerHunter. PeerHunter starts from a P2P hosts detection component. Then, it uses mutual contacts as the main feature to cluster bots into communities. Finally, it uses community behavior analysis to detect potential botnet communities and further identify bot candidates. Enhanced PeerHunter is an …

A Review Of The Class Pass Intervention: A Derivative Of Bedtime Pass, Peigelyn A. Dorno

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this paper was to review and synthesize the literature on both the bedtime pass (BPP) and the class pass intervention (CPI), a school-based intervention derived from the bedtime pass. Specifically, the objective of this paper was to discuss variations in the implementation of the class pass and bedtime pass that may impact the effectiveness of this intervention. A total of 11 articles, seven articles on CPI and four articles on BPP, were identified for this review through a search on EBSCO database and Google Scholar search engine. The articles identified were summarized in regard to the participant’s …

Recognizing Emotion In The Wild Using Multimodal Data, Shivam Srivastava

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this work, I will present our approach of using multi-modal data for recognizing human emotion and behavior in the wild. The study is divided into four tasks: group emotion recognition, driver gaze prediction, student engagement prediction, and emotion recognition using physiological signals. We explore multiple approaches including classical machine learning tools such as random forests, state-of-the-art deep neural networks, and multiple fusion and ensemble-based approaches. We also show that similar approaches can be used across tracks as many of the features generalize well to the different problems (e.g. facial features).

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. …

A Critical Exploration Of The Enactment Of Successful Leadership Practices Used To Achieve Increasing Academic Achievement In A High Poverty Urban School With High Percentages Of Students Of Color, Lateesa A. Allen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For decades, America’s K-12 public schools have struggled with closing the achievement gap between black and brown students and their white counterparts. High-poverty schools with high percentages of students of color are often low-performing schools. These marginalized populations of students lack equitable access to the rigorous academic curricula and instruction that is accessible to their white peers (Goings & Ford, 2018; Lewis et al., 2012; Nadelson et al., 2020).

The educational policy landscape has made numerous shifts between national reform models designed to increase opportunities and provide access to equitable education for underrepresented and disenfranchised groups of students. The national …

Analyses Of Woodland Check-Stamped Ceramics In Northwest Florida, John D. Blackburn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research compares prehistoric check-stamped ceramics from two northwest Florida sites, Sunstroke (8Li217) and Roy Whitfield (8Gu52), to investigate change through time in pottery manufacture of this ubiquitous type from the Early to Late Woodland Periods, about 100-1000 C.E. These sites are about 60 km apart and connected by waterways in the middle and lower Apalachicola valley drainage system. The Roy Whitfield site is considered Early Woodland based on other diagnostic pottery types, and the Sunstroke site has been radiocarbon-dated to the Late Woodland Period. Check-stamping is a common form of ceramic surface treatment across the Woodland Period and beyond, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Using A Peer-Mediated Bullying Safety Skills Intervention For Children With Disabilities, Jennifer Leigh Trapani

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As bullying continues to be a growing problem in schools, research is needed to further evaluate the effectiveness of current bullying prevention and intervention programs for children with disabilities. The peer-mediated intervention (PMI) is an evidence-based practice that has been successful in teaching social skills to children with disabilities. PMI literature can be extended by exploring and evaluating its effectiveness in teaching bullying safety skills to children with disabilities. The current study examined the use of PMI to teach children with disabilities bullying safety skills with four students (2 peers and 2 learners) in grades kindergarten and third grade. Typically …

Review Of The Use Of Differential Reinforcement In Skill Acquisition, Hannah E. Efaw

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this paper was to review and synthesize the literature investigating the impact of differential reinforcement on skill acquisition. Specifically, the aim of this review was to determine the most efficient differential reinforcement arrangement for skill acquisition in individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Researchers synthesized the results of 12 articles with the following categories: (a) participant characteristics (i.e.,, age, sex, diagnosis, verbal repertoire, communication modality, receptive and imitation skills, prompt dependency), (b) target behavior information (i.e., target behavior, measurement system), (c) pre-evaluation assessments (i.e., preference assessments, reinforcer assessments, magnitude edible and size assessments), (d) teaching procedures (i.e., …

Face Mask Use To Protect Against Covid-19; Importance Of Substrate, Fit, And User Tendencies, Evelyn Kassel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 2019, a novel respiratory illness appeared in China and spread rapidly though the country. It was determined that the SARS–CoV-2 virus was the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of 2020, almost every continent was experiencing the effects of COVID-19. The virus caused health officials difficulty in determining its route of transmission. They worked tirelessly to discover it was spread via respiratory droplets. Panicked buyers wiped out protective equipment like medical masks and respirators, regardless of what was needed. Essential employees and first responders were subject to large scale personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages as health organizations …

Young Adolescents’ Opportunity To Develop Concept Images Of Polygons In Middle School Mathematics Textbooks, Megan N. Cannon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Young adolescents build notions of figures through experiences. When young adolescentsbegin middle school mathematics, they already have prior assumptions and conceptualizations about shapes (Herbst, Fujita, Halverscheid, & Weiss, 2017). Over years of experiences, interactions, and exposures with a particular concept, these students develop concept images consisting of all the visual information, pictures, mental images, or properties associated with the particular mathematical concept (Vinner, 1983). Seminal works in the field of mathematics education research found that without an opportunity to engage with varied representations, young adolescent students may not develop robust concept images (Aspinwall, Shaw & Presmeg, 1997; Hasegawa, 1997; Mesa, …