Digital Commons Network^™

A Mathematics Textbook Analysis Of Content And Representation, Salam R. Ahmad

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation study, I recognized the crucial role of mathematics educators’ utilization of instructional materials for effective teaching. I highlighted the significance of content that is taught to students through relevant mathematical tasks and representations. Through a detailed examination, I analyzed the similarities and differences in two editions of a precalculus textbook published by the same publishing company. Following a state-wide mathematics textbook ban in Florida, the precalculus textbook was placed on the Florida Department of Education’s (FLDOE) Instructional Materials Not-Recommended List in 2020. It was later revised and subsequently included to the FLDOE Instructional Materials Adopted List document …

Leveraging Systems Thinking For Global Environmental Health, Martha M. Mcalister

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Environmental health inequities such as household air pollution, inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene, and chemical pollution persist globally and have myriad consequences on individual and societal well-being. Unfortunately, while billions of dollars and countless hours of research have been applied towards addressing these issues in development, humanitarian, and environmental justice contexts, attempts to reduce the environmental burden of disease can seem successful at first, but then backslide to pre-intervention conditions (or worse). This is indicative of policy resistance, a tendency of complex systems that makes it very difficult to enact change if the “rules” of the system are misunderstood. There …

Curricula As Ideology: A Study Of Cultural Representations In Arabic As A Foreign Language (Afl) Textbooks, Zakaria Fahmi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study examines cultural representations in two widely used AFL textbook series, namely Al-Kitaab and Arabiyyat al-Naas. Fundamentally, three main issues motivate this study: (1) the cultural politics of language textbooks underlying the construction and dissemination of cultural knowledge and its prioritization of the latter on grounds of subjectivity, ideology, and power, (2) the politicization of Arabic as a foreign language (AFL) in light of the post 9/11 language advocacy, and (3) the prevailing standard language ideology of al-Arabiya al-fuṣħaa (العربية الفصحى) and the pedagogical challenges posed by Arabic diglossia. The data comprise five textbooks from the aforementioned series, …

Effects Of Diminazene Aceturate On Drosophila Melanogaster: A Lipidomic Analysis, Gabriela Suarez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pesticides are agents designed to eradicate living organisms to preserve agricultural needs.¹ Today the most commonly used pesticides are termed “modern pesticides”, they are characterized by lower lipophilicity and limited stability, making them less time persistent in the environment. Among these modern pesticides are organophosphorus, urea, phenoxy alkanoic, triazine, chloroacetanilide, and glyphosate-based pesticides.² The issue faced with most of these pesticides is that they affect more than just the targeted pest and pose a danger to not only humans, but also entire ecosystems.^1,3,4 While there are many different types of pesticides, insecticides show the most variance and …

Context-Aware Data Analytics In Healthcare: A Fairness Perspective, Motahareh Pourbehzadi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The following dissertation is an accumulation of applied data analytics research in healthcare. In the first chapter, the focus is on detecting ineffective self-management in diabetic patients. Through the application of Natural Language Processing (NLP), the project investigates links between the diabetic patients' discharge notes and their compliance to exercise, dietary restrictions and medications. A bi-product of this research is the development of an online dashboard that allocates scores to six compliance categories. This tools allows healthcare provider to assess patient progress and compare it to the population averages. The dashboard also offers a patient summary generated using the Chat …

African Spirituality In Literature Written By Women Of African Descent, Brigét V. Harley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

African spiritual memory is the thread that connects members of the African diaspora, irrespective where we are or what we are doing. However, because of white supremacy, the longevity of African spiritual memory and its duration as a living, thriving, breathing force often becomes distorted under the weight of anti-black prejudice. This dissertation debunks the myth that people of African descent required outside input from non-Africans and Arabs to establish the world’s oldest and most studied civilizations, Ta-Seti and then the Egyptian Empire. Women writers of African descent capture the ever-present thread of African spiritual memory, providing a glimpse of …

Dissolved Nitrogen Removal In Biochar Amended, High Permeability Media For Urban Stormwater Treatment, Mark Vicciardo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nutrient pollution in stormwater drives the eutrophication of inland and costal waterbodies which leads to sea grass retreat and the proliferation of harmful algal blooms (HAB). These anthropogenic effects destabilize ecosystems, and some HABs can pose direct human health risk. Bioretention, or the storage and controlled discharge of stormwater run-off in an ecologically engineered setting, is a potential solution to this problem. However, it relies heavily on the settling of particles as a nutrient removal mechanism, and thus struggles with pollutants, such as dissolved nitrogen, which is a particular problem in Florida where the geological prominence of phosphorus leaves nitrogen …

Programmable And Scalable Bit-Sliced Vlsi Architecture For Decision Tree Based Machine Learning Edge Inference, Raaga Sai Somesula

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the volume and diversity of Internet-of-Things (IoT) data continues to grow, traditional cloud-based processing methods face significant challenges, including latency, bandwidth constraints, and privacy concerns. Our research focuses on employing decision trees (DTs) as an intelligent filtering mechanism on the edge. Preliminary comparisons across four datasets revealed DTs are significantly more efficient than multilayer perceptrons (MLP), saving 97-98\% in area and power, leading to the selection of DT for our proposed architecture for lightweight IoT devices. We propose a novel programmable and scalable custom application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) architecture designed for Decision Tree based ML inference. Each bit-slice …

Bird Strike Hazard Assessment For The Tampa International Airport, Florida, Usa, Yakubu Ogwu Isah

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Managing wildlife at airports poses a challenge for ensuring safety for aviation traffic. Airports, with their surrounding habitats and infrastructure, serve as attractants for avian species. Threats created by these species have led managers to develop management techniques in and around airports (DeVault et al 2013). One approach is the use of geographic information systems (GIS) for analyzing avian strike data and airport bird surveys. Spatial analysis of strike data identifies species of threat by categorizing strike occurrence, species sizes, phase of flight, and risk of damage. In addition, GIS can be used to map hotspots of bird strikes. These …

Linking Shared Decision Making To Outcomes In Simulated Prenatal Genetic Counseling Sessions, Raquel C. Chavarria

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Shared decision-making (SDM), defined as the collaborative process between patient and healthcare provider to arrive at a values-based clinical decision, may be valuable in genetic counseling (GC) given that patients are often faced with various options. Four published studies have measured or made conclusions about the use of SDM skills in GC settings, but only one study evaluated relationships between third-party observations of SDM in recorded GC sessions and patient-reported outcomes (i.e., anxiety and decisional conflict) and found no correlations between these measures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate relationships between SDM and measures of patient-reported experience (i.e., …

Evaluation Of Pediatric Genetics Clinics’ Workflows, Efficiencies, & Genetic Counselor Job Satisfaction, Ashlyn M. Keziah

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The organizational structures and workflows of pediatric/general genetics clinics exhibit significant variability across institutions. However, there is a notable lack of studies exploring which structural components within pediatric clinics contribute to increased patient volumes, while concurrently upholding genetic counselor work satisfaction and mitigating burnout risks. To address this gap, this multiple case study delves into the operational dynamics of several pediatric genetics clinics located throughout the state of Florida. We employed surveys and interviews to identify shared patterns and distinctions in clinic workflows and structures, subsequently evaluating efficiency and genetic counselor job satisfaction/burnout at each site. This study includes survey …

Effects Of Unobservable Bus States On Detection And Localization Of False Data Injection Attacks In Smart Grids, Moheb Abdelmalak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In an era increasingly marked by sophisticated cyber-attacks, this thesis investigates the critical issue of bus unobservability in smart grids and its impact on the effectiveness of cyber-attack detection and localization models. Given that unobservability is a prevalent challenge in smart grids due to various factors, researchers have developed numerous algorithms for optimal Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) placement under scenarios of limited observability. However, these models primarily focus on enhancing network observability, often without considering whether this placement optimally facilitates attack detection. This research is driven by the hypothesis that a deeper understanding of the effects of unobservable buses can …

The Theoretical Epigenetic Relationship Between Complex-Ptsd And Adhd In Holocaust Survivors’ Descendants, Y. Sahara Brodsky

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When comparing ADHD and Complex-PTSD, these two disorders share many overlapping features in both areas of the brain that are affected and the behavioral aspects due to deficits in certain brain regions, such as the prefrontal cortex. It is due to this similarity that I predict that c-PTSD is the precursor to the development of ADHD in later generations. Through epigenetic changes that are consistent with c-PTSD diagnosis, these changes to the brain are then passed down the generational line. When this is combined with trauma transference and generational trauma, it creates a situation where both the behaviors inform how …

No Change No Gain: A Comparative Framing Analysis Of The Nfl’S Inspire Change Campaign, Kia K. Cannon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research provides a basis for understanding how public relations practitioners should present CSR initiatives in their organizations and how the media may interpret its initiatives. The researcher analyzed how the NFL framed its Inspire Change campaign and how it was translated in the media. First, a qualitative textual analysis determined how the NFL strategically framed its newly founded social justice initiative. Then, another textual analysis examined how the media framed the Inspire Change initiative and if the NFL’s preferred frames were reflected in the media. The results reveal that while two out of three of the NFL’s frames of …

Parents As Reporters Of Middle School Students’ Subjective Well-Being, Daijah N. Hines

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Historically, self-report has been the predominant method for assessing the subjective well-being of adolescents (SWB). Regarding the use of secondary reporters, especially parental/caregiver reports, in assessing adolescent SWB, there is a gap in the literature. Gaining a better understanding of how to best evaluate adolescent SWB can assist in the identification of adolescents who may be at risk for mental health concerns or who could benefit from increased well-being. It may also assist in the development of future interventions in positive psychology for adolescents. This validity study explored (1) What is the reliability of a newly developed parent report measure …

Empowering Populist Politics: Social Media Use In The Us And Uk, James M. Howley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Modern advancements in technology, in particular the rise in influence and popularity of social media platforms, have had a profound effect on the political landscape. The way in which political actors conduct their campaigns therefore requires significant analysis. Populist campaigns have particularly benefitted from the political influence of social media platforms. This research therefore looks at two significant political events from 2016, the Presidential Election campaign of Donald J. Trump in the United States and the 'Vote Leave' Brexit referendum campaign from the United Kingdom. Utilizing Manuel Castells' 'Network Society' (1990) as the theoretical framework for the research, this analysis …

Influence Of Merck Gardasil 9 Advertisements On Male Vaccination Behavior Through A Health Belief Model Framework, Lauren Kierpa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Merck’s Gardasil advertisements for human papillomavirus (HPV) traditionally targeted women, thus feminizing the vaccine (Daley et al., 2017). With the release of newer gender-neutral Gardasil vaccine advertisements, this study seeks to understand the influence this campaign has on college-aged males’ intent to vaccinate. This study, grounded in the health belief model, analyzes the “Numbers Move You” advertisement through in-depth interviews. Then, for increased validity, a textual analysis of Merck Gardasil broadcast advertisements was conducted with the health belief model as a framework. The health belief model seeks to understand the reasoning behind health behavior change. The health belief model includes …

Analyzing The Relationship Between Preeclamptic Severity And Placental Methylation, Mackenzie C. Maggio

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Preeclampsia (PE) is a life-threatening hypertensive disorder in pregnancy (HDP) characterized by high blood pressure and proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation. PE poses significant risks to both maternal and child health. An incomplete etiopathogenesis, diverse disease heterogeneity, and limited intervention and detection strategies further exacerbate and perpetuate PE as a major public health concern. By assessing symptom severity of placental tissues from PE pregnancies and analyzing the DNA methylation differences, this thesis aimed to identify epigenetic variations contributing to disease heterogeneity. Using the publicly available dataset GSE 98224, differentially methylated region (DMR) analysis on placental samples (n=48) revealed increasing …

Examining Localized Communication, Political Action, And Polarization In The 108th Senate, Mitchell Popovic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis answers the call by Neal (2020) to provide the first study of positive and negative direct relations between senators, and by doing so, converges normative communicative praxis with the contemporary study of legislative networks under the auspices of communicatively constituted organizationality (CCO). The broad range of academic research on legislative networks, like the U.S. Senate, have long studied the political behaviors of senators via indirect social ties of mutual participation. The work presented here crosses that gap with a sentiment analysis of interpersonal statements of senators to/about a second—or possibly more—senator(s) during the 108th Congress (2003-2005) to construct …

Comparative Analysis Of Abortion Coverage In Cnn And Fox News From The Perspective Of Agenda Setting Theory, Xinyu Chang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact of media framing on public perception and discourse concerning the contentious issue of abortion legislation, as delineated by two major U.S. news outlets, CNN and Fox News. Incorporating the principles of Agenda-Setting and Framing theories, this research utilizes a textual analysis approach to dissect the narrative structures, framing strategies, and the role of key actors within the media outlets' coverage. The investigation focuses on news articles published between 2010 and 2022, applying both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to scrutinize linguistic constructs, framing techniques, and potential biases.

A comprehensive analysis reveals marked ideological disparities, viewpoints, and …

Exploring Educational Equity: An Ethnographic Case Study Of Non-Profit Initiatives In Early Childhood Education, Jovana Jovanovic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Quality early childhood education is acknowledged as a crucial factor in paving the way for academic success and societal contribution. Childhood experiences greatly influence individual life trajectories, significantly shaping future endeavors. This research delves into the intricate dynamics between socioeconomic status (SES), educational outcomes, and non-profit organizations, emphasizing the challenges faced by students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. While factors such as limited resources, financial constraints, and substandard living conditions have been linked to negative consequences on educational attainment, this research seeks to understand the specific role of non-profits in enhancing educational opportunities. By shedding light on collaborative efforts between local …

Lights, Camera, Recruitment: Analyzing Dod-Hollywood Synergy And Its Effects On Attitudes And Behaviors Towards The Military, Jose-Andres Leon-Gil

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to research priming effects on DoD influenced films and uncover if there are significant effects affecting attitudes, beliefs, military support, and behaviors. This study is important because there is a lack of literature on the effects of DoD-influenced films. A portion of top grossing films are influenced by the DoD while there is little research on the effects consumers have. This study conducted an experiment testing the effects of behaviors and attitudes when a priming stimulus is presented. The priming stimulus was a military-influenced film clip and a military advertisement. Three groups were made, …

Corporate Social Responsibility And Social Media Influencers: Effectiveness Of Csr Brand-Endorsed Messaging On Consumers, Hannah Sarmiento

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Corporate social responsibility and social media influencers have both become key components in corporations’ strategic communication. Social media influencers who are knowledgeable on the subject they are communicating have been found to be influential on consumers attitudes and behaviors. Fit between brand-endorsed messages and the spokesperson have also been found to have similar effects. Grounded in the Source Credibility Model and Congruence Theory, the study aimed to identify and analyze the main and interaction effects of perceived expertise of social media influencers and perceived fit between a brand and its social media influencer on consumer attitudes and behaviors. The research …

Predicting Gender Of Author Using Large Language Models (Llms), Satya Uday Sanku

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The advent of text data from social media, blogs, movie reviews, and other textual sources has opened new avenues for research, particularly in the domain of Author Profiling. Author Profiling helps in Capturing the Stylistic features and also useful for analyzing the required elements in the written text. This Study addresses one of the tasks in Author Profiling which is termed as gender detection or Classification of Gender from Text. The main goal of this research is to obtain valuable and relevant gender characteristics that will accurately classify the Author’s gender of a review extracted from an Anime Review website. …

A Differentially Methylated Region Analysis Between Three Disease States Of Major Depressive Disorder In Primarily African-American Cohorts, Lanie Katelynn Mullins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common and debilitating disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. MDD is a multifactorial disease with no established mechanism currently able to explain all facets of the disease or its etiology. Feedback loop mechanisms have been posited to explain the interactions of psychological and physical components of the disease etiology. Epigenetics, specifically DNA-methylation analyses, can shed light on the interaction between the within-person environment resulting from MDD symptomology, the persistence of the disease, and factors influencing remission. Here, a differentially methylated region analysis was conducted using samples derived from whole blood to interrogate the …

Single And Dual Cell Encapsulation Via Liquid Core Hydrogels Using Pico Injection, Jade Houston

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this project, a comprehensive microfluidic device, along with several interdependent subsystems, was designed and developed in SolidWorks, leveraging a combination of 3D resin printing with biocompatible resin and micromachining with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). The microfluidics chip integrated both passive and active components to facilitate its primary function: dual cell encapsulation via liquid core sodium alginate hydrogel droplets.

Integral to the microfluidics chip design were key features including a 5-convolution Archimedes spiral for particle sorting, a flow focusing junction for droplet generation, and a pico injector for injecting additional cells into passing droplets via the manipulation of an electric field.

An …

Development Of A Plant Growth And Health Monitoring System Using Imaging And Sensor Array Information For Cubesat Applications, Kat-Kim Phan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Space exploration has been a topic of interest in the scientific community, such as the planned missions to Mars. To accomplish this would require being able to provide astronauts with a steady supply of food beyond freeze-dried foods leading to the need to grow food in space. Although this is a topic still being investigated, the CubeSat platform opens the possibility of carrying out studies on plant growth under more strenuous space conditions unlike that in the International Space Station (ISS). Developing a plant-focused mission for a CubeSat, though, entails being able to develop a system to sustain plant life …

On The Possibility Of Secular Morality, Zachary R. Alonso

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Is something like a transcendent God necessary to have a coherent moral system, or at the very least, necessary for one to have personal ethical guidelines to live by that are not entirely subjective? This paper explores the claims of two Christian thinkers, David Bentley Hart and D. C. Schindler, as well as some alternatives to their thinking in the ethics of Alasdair MacIntyre and Jeffrey Stout. Hart and Schindler portray society as downcast, riddled with moral decay, and the only solution to this decay is to turn toward God, thereby recognizing a hierarchical, cosmological worldview. While MacIntyre believes that …

Preliminary Investigation Of Differences In Host Mitochondria Membrane Potential During Toxoplasma Gondii Infection, Bryan L. Ortega

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan with a broad host range of hosts, including various warm-blooded mammals, including humans. While infections can often be asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, they can pose significant risks to those who are immunocompromised, as well as pregnant women. Toxoplasmosis represents a significant burden on public health in the United States, with over 800,000 annual infections reported, often leading to severe complications such as symptomatic eye disease and congenital infections. Recent attention has developed regarding its potential association with human neuropathies such as Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and mood disorders. This project investigated differences in host …

Educator And Caregiver Perceptions Of Project Begin Well: An Early Childhood Risk Identification Course, Samin Khallaghi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The early years of a child's life are vital to building the foundation for early childhood, and educators and caregivers are at the heart of making this foundation for children. However, educators and caregivers often lack knowledge on correctly identifying risks in children. The current study used a quantitative non-experimental design to examine early childhood educator and caregiver perceptions of a training program called Project Begin Well. Project Begin Well included a risk identification course for educators and caregivers of children aged 3-5 years. Specifically, educators' and caregivers' knowledge, skills, attitudes, aspirations, and behaviors toward the risk identification course were …