Digital Commons Network^™

Malicious Manipulation In Service-Oriented Network, Software, And Mobile Systems: Threats And Defenses, Dakun Shen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation includes three approaches we have been designed to tackle threats and challenges in network, software, and mobile security. The first approach demonstrates a new class of content masking attacks against the Adobe PDF standard, causing documents to appear to humans dissimilar to the underlying content extracted by information-based services. The second work protects sensitive data in binaries from being corrupted by cyber attackers. The last work proposes a mechanism which utilizes the unique walking patterns inherent to humans and differentiate our work from other walking behavior studies by using it as first-order authentication and developing matching methods fast …

Evaluation Of The Psychometric Properties Of The Systems Coaching Survey, Sarah E. Thoman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to provide evidence for the reliability and validity of the Systems Coaching Survey (SCS). Systems coaching is an approach to building capacity among groups of educators to drive educational reform efforts by employing seven interdependent sets of skills (interpersonal communication, data-based problem solving, team facilitation, content knowledge dissemination, leadership, professional learning, evaluation). The SCS was designed to measure educators’ skills to facilitate implementation of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS). The 41-item survey was piloted nationally in the spring of 2017 by 1,060 educators across 180 schools in six U.S. states who had responsibilities for facilitating MTSS …

Probabilistic And Statistical Prediction Models For Alzheimer’S Disease And Statistical Analysis Of Global Warming, Maryam Ibrahim Habadi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The importance and applicability of data-driven statistical models have increased significantly. This current study, we have utilized statistical techniques in interdisciplinary research, including environmental and health.

Environmentally, global warming is considered one of the critical issues facing our planet. It is the increase in average global temperatures caused mostly by increases in Carbon Dioxide CO₂. The excessive rise of carbon dioxide from the average level as the side effect of the industrial revolution has a significant impact on blocking the heat and increase the temperature within the Earth’s atmosphere. Based on the record of total CO₂ emissions …

Examining Efl Learners’ Reading Comprehension: The Impact Of Metacognitive Strategies Discussion And Collaborative Learning Within Multimedia E-Book Dialogic Environments, Abrar H. Alsofyani

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For most English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, both reading and comprehension skills are challenging to acquire. EFL students find reading challenging due to their inability to comprehend and interpret text information, which may lead, at times, to demotivation and loss of interest. The current study intends to explore how Saudi EFL learners may better tackle reading comprehension challenges by examining the utilization of metacognitive reading strategies through discussion and extensive collaborative learning activities within a multimedia e-book dialogic environment. Accordingly, the study investigates the impact of teaching metacognitive strategy-based discussion and collaborative learning on students’ application of the …

Localization Of Five Target Proteins In Tachyzoites Of Toxoplasma Gondii, Abigail M. Kaiser

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Five target genes were selected in Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites for localization studies. These five genes, detected through proteomics studies, included TgME49_227450, TgME49_223080, TgME49_262390, TgME49_230940, and TgME49_269620. Localization of these five target proteins is a first step to confirm their interaction with TgCrk2 and understand their function and role in TgCrk2 regulation of the tachyzoite cell cycle. Gene models for the targets were analyzed using ToxoDB and ApE analysis tools. Endogenous tagging constructs were created for each target. Transgenic parasites were created. Finally, localization analysis of the target proteins in tachyzoites was completed using immunofluorescent microscopy following. One protein was found …

Cross Layer-Based Intrusion Detection System Using Machine Learning For Manets, Amar Amouri

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Intrusion Detection systems plays a crucial role in detecting malicious activities that deteriorate the performance of the network. Mobile AdHoc Networks (MANETs) and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are a type of wireless networks that can deliver data without any need of infrastructure for their operation. The distributed nature of these networks and the limited resources available, pose a huge challenge for the security of a network. The need for an IDS that can adapt with such challenges is of utmost importance.

Two IDS schemes are presented in this dissertation; the first scheme is based on utilizing the promiscuous mode based …

Efl Student Collaborative Writing In Google Docs: A Multiple Case Study, Quang Nam Pham

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The development of modern technology has presented new opportunities for language instruction. In recent years, technology-mediated collaborative writing has received great attention in research literature. The constraints and affordances of some tools, such as Wikispaces and Google Docs for collaborative writing have been explored. Although wiki-based collaborative writing have been conducted in a variety of contexts, studies in Google Docs-based collaborative writing in English as Foreign Language (EFL) contexts are underrepresented in research literature.

To contribute to research diversity, I conducted a dissertation study in an English for Specific Purposes class at a university in southern Vietnam. Sociocultural Theory and …

Contribution Of Retrotransposons To Breast Cancer Malignancy, Isaac D. Raplee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The components contributing to cancer progression, especially the transition from early to invasive are unknown. Consequently, the biological reasons are unclear as to why some patients diagnosed with atypia and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) never progress into invasive breast cancer. The “one gene at a time” approach does not sufficiently predict progression. To elucidate the early stage progression to invasive ductal cancer, expression signature of transcripts and transposable elements in micropunched samples of formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue was conducted. A bioinformatics pipeline to analyze poor quality, short reads (>36 nts) from RNA-Seq data was created to compare …

Mobilizing Images Of Black Pain And Death Through Digital Media: Visual Claims To Collective Identity After “I Can’T Breathe”, Aryn Kelly

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the wake of Eric Garner’s 2014 public execution at the hands of NYPD officers, online spaces such as Twitter saw an influx of remediated imagery referencing Ramsey Orta’s bystander cell phone video of Garner’s death. These images often explicitly reference the chokehold that killed Garner and/or they reappropriate Garner’s last words: “I can’t breathe.” To what formal dimensions in Orta’s video are these remediated images responding? What broader cultural work is the creation of these images doing?

In this project, I regard Orta’s video as the point of entry for considering the cultural work of remediating images from it, …

The Effects And Students’ Views Of Teachers' Coded Written Corrective Feedback: A Multiple-Case Study Of Online Multiple-Draft Chinese Writing, Jining Han

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the rapid development of Web 2.0 in the field of education, which allows users to interact and collaborate with teachers and peers on the web, many researchers have focused on exploring the developments of using Course Manage System (CMS) in service of L2 writing (e.g., Chun, 2011; Warschauer & Grimes, 2007). Simultaneously, participation in learning and teaching Chinese as a foreign (TCFL) has been accelerating. Learning and teaching Chinese writing plays a significant role in the field of world languages education. In the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and Foreign Language Education (FLE), many studies have examined the …

Illuminating Changes In Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions About Teaching Elementary Mathematicsin An Introductory Methods Course, Elaine Cerrato

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Producing highly skilled elementary mathematics teachers capable of facilitating mathematics learning in ways aligned with The Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000) and the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM), is a common objective of teacher preparation programs (National Governors Association & Chief Council of State School Officers, 2010). After decades of effort, Brown (2003) argues, teachers continue to teach in the way they were taught; thus, they disregard mathematics standards. As Abell, Appleton, and Hanuscin (2010) note, students’ preexisting ideas relevant to the nature of learning and teaching stem from experiences in their schooling, life, and …

In Defense Of The “Forgotten Man”: The Sustained Legacy Of The Southern Strategy On The Post-Reagan Era Presidency, Stephanie Lynn Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Political and historical literature largely attributes the political development of the Southern Strategy to the 1964 Barry Goldwater and 1968 Richard Nixon presidential campaigns. The Southern Strategy is commonly explained as the Republican Party’s 1964 campaign decision to abandon Black voters in the North to expand its national political base of support by seeking White voters outside of the South who were angry with the political advancements of the Civil Rights Movement (Aistrup 1996, 5; Bass and DeVries 1976, 27). Discussions of Ronald Reagan’s role in the development of the Southern Strategy describe him more as a beneficiary rather than …

A Functional Approach To Bullying Prevention And Reduction: The Development And Evaluation Of The Functional Behavior Assessment For Bullying-Behavior In Schools (Fabb-S), Lindsey Slattery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bullying is reported to be one of the most prevalent forms of violence in schools and has negative health, financial, and social outcomes. Researchers define bullying as (a) aggressive behavior that is (b) repeated over time and that involves (c) a real/ perceived imbalance of power. The literature on bullying is limited due to the absence of functional behavior assessment procedures and individualized interventions for bullying behaviors. Study 1 developed the Functional Assessment of Bullying Behaviors in Schools (FABB-S) tool. Following expert review 21 items were found to have content validity. Following revision, the items were reviewed by child work …

Water And Salt At The Lipid-Solvent Interface, James M. Kruczek

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lipid bilayers are important biological structures. The changes in bilayer properties are induced by the composition of the bilayer as well as the solvent. In this work, we study the effects of different molecular makeups of lipids and ionic solvents with molecular dynamics simulations to determine their effect on the bilayer interface. In particular, we look at how different carbon chain bindings affect water viscosity at the interface and allow for a less permeable bilayer. Additionally, we examine the changes to the bilayer due to the presence of the most biologically relevant salt ions. Lastly, we show how the pharmacological …

Cooperation In Community Colleges, Frederic S. Gore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the mounting pressures on institutions of higher education to do more with limited resources, the opportunity to collaborate with other colleges has emerged as a viable tool to create efficiencies and obtain valuable knowledge otherwise unattainable by an institution, even if that collaboration takes place with a competing institution. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are critical to managing student information and college operations, but can be challenging for colleges to implement. Consortia present a unique solution to colleges to address gaps in their expertise and skills needed to achieve a successful ERP implementation. This study explores the factors that …

Security Framework For The Internet Of Things Leveraging Network Telescopes And Machine Learning, Farooq Israr Ahmed Shaikh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The recent advancements in computing and sensor technologies, coupled with improvements in embedded system design methodologies, have resulted in the novel paradigm called the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT is essentially a network of small embedded devices enabled with sensing capabilities that can interact with multiple entities to relay information about their environments. This sensing information can also be stored in the cloud for further analysis, thereby reducing storage requirements on the devices themselves. The above factors, coupled with the ever increasing needs of modern society to stay connected at all times, has resulted in IoT technology penetrating all facets …

Development And Validation Of Advanced Techniques For Treatment Planning And Verification In Megavoltage Radiotherapy, Saeed Ahmed

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this work is primarily to validate the advanced techniques for treatment planning and dosimetric verification for modern megavoltage x-ray radiotherapy. With the advent of modern radiotherapy techniques, there is a great need for assuring quality of the radiation dose distributions generated by the advanced intensity modulated treatments (IMRT/VMAT). This is typically accomplished by the assessment of the treatment plan quality at the planning stage and then verification of the dose distributions through measurements on the phantoms or independent dose calculations prior to the actual delivery of these plans to patients. The major focus of this work is …

Essays On Time Series And Machine Learning Techniques For Risk Management, Michael Kotarinos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Capital Asset Pricing Model combined with the Sharpe ratio is a standard method for choosing assets for selection in a portfolio. However, this method has many structural issues and was designed for a time when high dimensional computing was in its infancy. An alternative to these methods using a mix of Multi-Level Time Series Clustering, the MACBETH algorithm and traditional time series techniques was constructed that minimized data loss and allow for customized portfolio construction for investors with different risk profiles and specialized investment needs. It was shown that these methods are adaptable to cloud computing environments and allow …

Studies Of The Long-Term Change Of Global Mean And Regional Sea Surface Height, Yingli Zhu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sea level change could have profound impacts on our society. We report here on three related sea level change problems. First, a variety of regression models have predicted different rates for global mean sea level rise over the past century. Some of these models are accelerating and others are not. We ask whether we can distinguish between these using a new nonparametric noise model that we have developed. Simulations show that we can, and further imply that GMSL is rising at an accelerating rate. Second, historical global mean sea level is reconstructed from tide gauges that are located along coastlines …

Reasoning Of The Highest Leibniz And The Moral Quality Of Reason, Ryan Quandt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Loving God is our highest perfection for Leibniz. It secures our belief and trust in the Creator, which is integral to the sciences as well as faith. Those who love God have justification for reasoning, that is, they can rationally expect to arrive at truth. This is because love is a receptivity to the perfection all of things; loving God, then, is a disposition and tendency toward the most perfect being, the ens perfectissimum. Individuals who perceive the divine nature “do not merely fear the power of the supreme and all-seeing monarch,” Leibniz writes, “but are assured of his beneficence, …

An Evaluation Of The Individualized Behavior Rating Scale Tool (Ibrst) In Inclusive Classroom Settings, Jessica L. Moore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the greatest challenges facing school staff is problem behavior in the classroom (Public Agenda, 2004). Children who engage in problem behavior in the classroom setting greatly challenge teachers and diminish the ability to learn. This study evaluated the effects of self-monitoring using the Individualized Behavior Rating Scale Tool (IBRST) on problem behavior and on-task behavior in a classroom setting using a multiple-baseline across participants design. This study also evaluated the extent to which students self-rating on the IBRST correlated with direct observation data. Results indicate that self-monitoring using the IBRST was an effective strategy for increasing on-task behavior …

How The Heart Became Muscle: From René Descartes To Nicholas Steno, Alex Benjamin Shillito

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the heartbeat and the systems of natural philosophy that were used to explain it in the 17th century. Thus, I work in two domains of explanation. The first domain is physiology, in which William Harvey correctly ordered the heart’s systolic and diastolic motions, while René Descartes incorrectly reversed them. By looking at Harvey and Descartes’ more complete physiological models I reconsider the controversy that spun out of their divergent accounts. The second domain is the junction of physics and metaphysics, representing the frameworks of natural philosophy behind physiology. I argue that Harvey’s physiology was correct while his …

Anton Wilhelm Amo's Philosophy And Reception: From The Origins Through The Encyclopédie, Dwight Kenneth Lewis Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Diversity and the concept of race are, or should be, central concerns both for the history of philosophy and for our current political reality. Within academic philosophy, these concerns are expressed in the growing demand for minority representation within the canon, which is overwhelmingly white and male, especially in early modern philosophy. Furthermore, until now, historians of philosophy have not spent the time necessary to uncover various designations such as “Negro”, “Moor”, “Ethiopian”, etc., in early modern Europe, and from there to understand how these shaped philosophical reflections on human diversity. In my research, I relate Anton Wilhelm Amo (c. …

Assessing Study Abroad Relationship With Perceived Global Competence Levels Of Undergraduate Business Students, Pavla Ozkul

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Educating for global competence is vital if college graduates are to thrive in today’s technology driven and globally competitive world. One strategy for introducing students to unknown cultures and gaining important life skills is participation in a study abroad experience.

The purpose of this exploratory quasi-experimental research design study was to assess the relationship between perceived global competence levels and participation in study abroad experiences of business undergraduate students. The study assessed three dimensions of personal development: cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal in a multicultural environment using a total of six global competence scales. Data were gathered from business undergraduate students …

The Underutilized Tool Of Project Management - Emotional Intelligence, Gerald C. Lowe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has typically focused on singular attributes that impact a leader’s effectiveness. This study, instead, looks at whether emotional intelligence moderates the anticipated negative effect of distributed presence on engagement and influence, and ultimately, leader effectiveness. Buttressed by emotional intelligence, engagement, and influence theories, the research question focused on how emotional intelligence skills moderate the impact of a project manager’s distributed presence to render the leader effective. The study sample for this research came from voluntary participants who work for a U.S. government agency comprising leaders co-located with their teams and distributed presence leaders. Descriptive statistics showed that leaders …

Effects Of A Spanish Phonological Awareness Intervention On Latino Preschoolers' Dual Language Emergent Literacy Skills, Xigrid T. Soto

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Young children’s emergent literacy skills, particularly phonological awareness (PA) and alphabet knowledge (AK), are two of the strongest predictors of future reading skill. There is limited research evaluating the effectiveness of emergent literacy interventions on the dual language PA and AK skills of at-risk Latino preschoolers who are Dual Language Learners (DLLs). The bulk of existing interventions are conducted only in English. There is preliminary evidence supporting that DLL Latino children benefit from Spanish PA and AK instruction; however, few studies include preschool-aged children.

This study applied a multiple probe design across units of instruction to evaluate the effects of …

Volcanic Electrification: A Multiparametric Case Study Of Sakurajima Volcano, Japan, Cassandra M. Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electrical activity at volcanoes has been recently recognized as a potential new remote sensing technique for plume-forming eruptions. Volcanic electrical activity takes place in the conduit and plume and therefore has the benefit of being a direct indicator of surface activity. This is unlike seismic signals, which indicate magma/gas movement underground, and infrasound signals, which indicate a surface explosion but not necessarily the formation of an ash plume. There are two distinct types of volcanic electrical discharges: volcanic lightning and continual radio frequency (CRF) impulses. This dissertation explores the relationships between these two electrical signals and other commonly monitored volcanic …

Evaluating Theories Of Bilingual Language Control Using Computational Models, Mark D. Lowry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bilingual language control refers to how bilinguals are able to speak exclusively in one language without the unintended language intruding. Two prominent verbal theories of bilingual language control have been proposed by researchers: the inhibitory control model (ICM) and the lexical selection mechanism model (LSM). The ICM posits that domain-general inhibition is employed in order to suppress the unintended language’s activation. The LSM posits that inhibition is not used; rather a lexical selection mechanism targets only the intended language’s words. In order to better test the theories’ hypotheses, I developed computational models to estimate participants’ reaction times when naming in …

Past Hydroclimate And Vegetation Variation In Romania Inferred From Isotopic Geochemistry And Pollen Of Cave Bat Guano, Daniel Martin Cleary

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While an abundance of paleo-records related to hydroclimate and vegetation exist in East-Central Europe, currently there is a scarcity of reconstructions that have the resolution to effectively capture the past 2000 years. A more complete understanding of this interval is important as it includes significant climatic events such as the Medieval Warm Period, Little Ice Age, and the post-industrial revolution human induced climate change. A solution to increasing our understanding of these events is the use of cave bat guano, a relatively underutilized source of climatic information.

Cave bat guano piles commonly have near annual deposition and in Europe can …

High-Resolution Investigation Of Event Driven Sedimentation: Response And Evolution Of The Deepwater Horizon Blowout In The Sedimentary System, Rebekka A. Larson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This Dissertation combines the investigation of the sedimentological impacts of the Deepwater Horizon (DwH) blowout event in the deep-sea benthos, with the refinement and advancement of methods and approaches for high-resolution investigations of events preserved in sedimentary records. An approach that combined, rapid collection of cores, a continued annual time series collection of cores, and high-resolution sampling and analyses, in particular short-lived Radioisotopes (SLRad), enabled the temporal resolution required to detect the sedimentary response to the short-duration DwH event, and evaluate post-event sedimentation patterns at a comparable time scale (months).

The collection of 179 sediment cores from 80 sites between …