Digital Commons Network^™

An Inference-Centric Approach To Natural Language Processing And Cognitive Modeling, Animesh Nighojkar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Reasoning over natural text is highly nuanced, and interpretations can vary widely depending on cultural background, financial status, age, gender, or even mood. This doctoral dissertation seeks to not only mimic human reasoning behaviors but also improve the task used in natural language processing (NLP) to capture naturalistic reasoning, known as the Natural Language Inference (NLI) task. NLI involves determining whether a hypothesis is true (entailment), false (contradiction), or indeterminate (neutral) based on a given premise. Initially, we will investigate the extent to which NLP systems designed to capture semantic equivalence actually measure meaning equivalence. After establishing that they do …

Gone Smishing: An Integration Of Decision-Making And Protection Motivation In The Context Of Identity Theft Victimization, Taylor S. Fisher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Methods of obtaining sensitive information from Internet users have evolved consistently as technology has advanced and millions of mobile device users communicate through text (SMS) messaging daily, making them a target for smishing attacks. Smishing (short for SMS phishing) is a form of cybercrime where an offender will send fraudulent text messages attempting to gather sensitive information or convince the user to click on a malicious link. These messages often appear legitimate and rely on tactics like convincing users that immediate action needs to be taken. Smishing has become so widespread that in 2020, the Texas Attorney General issued a …

Enhancing The Performance Of Interdependent Stormwater Drainage And Roadway Systems Under Future Conditions, Chao Ye

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Flooding can cause extensive and devastating damage to human properties, including damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure systems, and personal belongings and it has become a threatening challenge during the past decades due to the massive damage brought to communities, infrastructures, and ecosystems. As climate change intensifies, the frequency and severity of flooding issues are expected to increase, exacerbating the existing flooding risks for vulnerable communities. Various approaches of modeling, optimizing, and designing for multiple levels of flooding problems have been adopted to deal with flooding control studies and research to alleviate the flooding risks on multiple levels of communities. This …

The Asymmetric Total Synthesis Of Membranolide And Efforts Towards The Oxeatamides, Sean Bradley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Total synthesis is a discipline within organic chemistry that is a constant force that propels the field forward. In our lab, we have immersed ourselves within the field of total synthesis to gain access to complex natural products, perform SAR studies, as well as highlight interesting methodology. Within these endeavors, we have completed the first asymmetric synthesis of membranolide. This has allowed us to explore potential biofilm eradication in our efforts to develop novel therapeutics to combat the ESKAPE pathogens and multi-drug resistance. We have also begun to pursue the first asymmetric total synthesis of the oxeatamides. By utilizing our …

Media Regulatory Dynamics: A Case Study Of Taiwan’S National Communications Commission And Its Implications For Media Independence., Chih-Jeng (George) Huang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In alignment with the US-led regime that champions free speech, the Republic of China (Taiwan) has assumed a prominent role in upholding the freedom of expression stance in East Asia. Rooted in historical origins and institutional conflicts between Taipei and Beijing, Taiwan has established a democratic system, presenting a distinct contrast with the Beijing system, and showcasing an alternative Chinese economy that embraces liberalism. Nevertheless, as Beijing’s influence grows stronger globally, Taiwan’s democratic politics have become increasingly delicate and sensitive. In the winter of 2020, Taiwan faced a critical moment in its control over media freedom, highlighting the ongoing tensions …

“Destiel Is Forever”: Negotiating Authenticity In The Cw’S Supernatural Family And Beyond, Hannah Lay

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the communicative constitution of authenticity and queerness. Because queerness has been policed and censored, notions of authenticity, in particular authentic queer representations, are fraught and sustaining to many LGBTQ+ and allied media consumers. The project focuses on the television series Supernatural—specifically, the unfolding of interactions in fan conventions, Twitter/X, and Tumblr involving celebrities and viewers of the series following a social breach, or rupture in the narrative. The last three episodes of Supernatural brought issues of queerness and authenticity to the fore for many viewers, making discussions about these themes compelling sites for multimodal data in the …

A Critical Analysis Of Latine School Psychology Graduate Students’ Socialization Experiences, Chelsea Salvatore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to uplift and critically analyze the experiences and perspectives of Latine school psychology graduate students regarding their programs' socialization process. I sought to call out oppressive structures and to identify anti-racist practices described by participants. I intended for this to inform school psychology programs on oppressive structures they must dismantle and anti-racist practices that disrupt the status quo to support the well-being and success of Latine graduate students. Seven Latine school psychology graduate students participated in one or two semi-structured interviews. I employed thematic analysis to discover themes from participant interviews. Once themes were identified, I utilized …

Soaked In Alcohol: Beyond The Female Archetype As Reflected In Djuna Barnes, Dorothy Parker, And Zelda Fitzgerald, Chondell C. Villines

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study surveys the use and abuse of alcohol within the literature of Modernist female authors of the Jazz Age, 1920 – 1930. An examination of the works of Djuna Barnes, Dorothy Parker, and Zelda Fitzgerald is conducted to understand their treatment of alcohol consumption by women and how this treatment is more complex than their male counterparts. This dissertation focuses on each author’s use of alcohol in developing their fictional female characters and how, when, and why they drink. These questions directly relate to the use and abuse of alcohol to assuage trauma, or as a reaction to trauma. …

From Graph Theory For Robust Deep Networks To Graph Learning For Multimodal Cancer Analysis, Asim Waqas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the intersection of graph theory and deep learning, focusing on enhancing the robustness of deep neural networks (DNNs) and applying these advancements to complex problems like cancer diagnosis and treatment. We investigate the structural properties of graphs and their influence on neural network performance, particularly in multimodal learning. The work delves into the design space of DNN architectures using graph-theoretic measures, transforming graphs into DNN architectures for various tasks, and examining their robustness against noise and adversarial attacks. The study extends to medical imaging, highlighting advanced DNN architectures like U-Net for brain tumor segmentation. It addresses the …

Understanding Perceptions Of Speech Therapy And Willingness To Continue Seeking Speech Therapy Among Adults Who Stutter, Jaclyn Lucey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project investigates factors associated with treatment-seeking behaviors among adults who stutter (AWS). Specifically, we hypothesized that perceptions of previous speech therapy, including satisfaction with therapy and perceived effectiveness would be related to willingness to seek continued speech therapy. Our project was motivated by a widely used theoretical framework of health service use, and it expands on existing ancillary evidence in stuttering research.

To achieve our objective, we used both qualitative and quantitative methods to gain a more holistic understanding of barriers and facilitators to seeking continued speech therapy. Simultaneously, across two studies, we conducted and analyzed semi- structured interviews …

‘The Overheated World’: Crisis Politics And Neoliberal Inertia, Shomik Chakrabarti

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers were forced to balance the maintenance of ongoing economic activity alongside the measures advised by epidemiologists and other public health officials to contain the viral spread. The magnitude of the pandemic forced major conduits of the global economy to come to a sudden halt through incidents such as border closures, supply chain disruptions, lockdowns and calls for individuals to distance themselves from one another. Like the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, COVID-19 was thought to signal an inflection point for neoliberal political economy where a possible post-neoliberal era would develop in the aftermath …

Pyramidal Behavior Skills Training To Increase Behavior Specific Praise In Juvenile Residential Staff, Kyra E. Ludwiszewski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ensuring consistent and effective behavioral treatment services for youth in juvenile residentialfacilities remains a challenge. In recent years, behavioral skills training (BST) has been combined with pyramidal training to teach behavior analytic procedures to staff in various settings. This study aimed to examine the implementation of the pyramidal BST with supervisory and floor staff in a juvenile residential setting that serves high-risk youth exposed to various forms of trauma and victimization. The study employed a multiple baseline design across participants, involving one supervisory staff member and three floor staff members. The objective was to evaluate the impact of pyramidal BST …

The Use Of Proactive Progressive Muscle Relaxation To Increase Academic Engagement For Elementary School Students, Lillian G. Mccook

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) has been shown to produce desired outcomes by decreasing disruptive behavior in the classroom and increasing academic engagement. The integration of technology into the educational setting alleviates some of the burden on educators and enhances the learning experience for students. This study evaluated the effectiveness of brief video-based PMR to increase academic engagement in the classroom with three elementary school students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Additionally, this study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of video based PMR within a classroom setting. Results from this study show that PMR was a feasible, acceptable and effective …

Using Functional Communication Training For Students With Disabilities, Carey J. Walls Iv

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When implementing functional communication training (FCT), a gradual reduction in the frequency of reinforcement becomes necessary to minimize the resurgence of problem behavior and systematically fade out the FCT intervention. This study evaluated the implementation of FCT combined with a delay-to-reinforcement procedure for children with disabilities who engage in problem behavior due to limited communication skills. The study participants were three elementary school students, ages 9 or 10 years old and their respective paraprofessionals and classroom teachers in two self-contained classrooms at two public schools. The intervention outcomes for functional communication response (FCR) and problem behavior were evaluated using a …

Teaching Caregivers To Implement The Picture Exchange Communication System: An Evaluation Of Video Modeling, Carlie Lawson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities may not develop functional vocal repertoires. For these individuals, the use of an alternative augmentative communication (AAC) system may be required. Training caregivers to use an AAC system with their children can increase communication in the home. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is type of AAC commonly used with individuals that have little to no vocal speech. Video modeling is a training procedure that has been shown to be effective when training individuals to implement behavioral analytic procedures. To date, there is no published research on the use of video modeling to train caregivers …

Using Instructive Feedback To Expand Second Language Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Barbara D. Rodriguez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There are millions of people who speak multiple languages (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019), yet there is a common misconception that teaching a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) more than one language will cause delays in language acquisition (Trelles & Castro, 2019). This misconception has led to fear amongst bilingual caregivers, resulting in many choosing to not speak to their child in their heritage language, which in turn can cause communication barriers between them and their child. It is imperative that a child from a bilingual home can communicate (e.g., respond to instructions) in both languages. However, because many children …

Optimal Selection Of Good Polynomials And Constructions Of Locally Recoverable Codes Via Galois Theory, Austin Dukes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To keep up with the ever-growing demand for reliable and efficient availability of data,locally recoverable codes (LRCs) have been the focus of much study due to their applications in cloud and distributed storage systems. A fundamental construction of LRCs was given in [36] based on polynomials which relied on the existence of r-good polynomials. In the same paper some constructions of good polynomials were given, but these constructions did not cover every configuration of parameters. Naturally this led to research into constructing good polynomials for what was not addressed in [36], but new ponderings were also posed, such as the …

Evaluating The Prevent-Teach-Reinforce Secondary (Ptr-Sec) Model For Middle School Students With Disabilities Requiring Individualized Behavior Supports, Paris N. Thie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) is a manualized, team-based, function-based intervention model designed to prevent problem behavior from occurring (prevent), teach functional replacement behaviors or skills (teach), and promote the replacement and other desired behaviors (reinforce). The current study extends the literature on the PTR intervention model by further evaluating the PTR model for middle school students in a public middle school setting. In particular, the PTR Secondary (PTR-SEC) model was evaluated with three students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) and other disabilities, involving their classroom teachers. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the behavioral outcomes of the …

A Comparison Of Video Feedback And Video Self-Evaluation To Improve Tap Skills, Ellie Warmund

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Within the research on behavioral interventions in sports, researchers have evaluated various feedback-based interventions to enhance performance of skills. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of video feedback (VF) to improve performance across a variety of sports. Video self-evaluation (VSE), though less studied, is another feedback-based intervention that has been proven to improve sports skills. By using a multiple baseline across participants with an embedded alternating treatments design, this study compared VF to VSE to improve the performance of tap skills. We evaluated three skills for each dancer; one skill received VF, one received VSE, and one did not receive an …

Learning And Using Positive Psychology As An Intervention For Clients: Examining Changes In Mental Health Clinician’S Complete Mental Health, Frances Coolman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Traditionally, mental health was viewed as the absence of illness or disorders, but over time it has increasingly become viewed as also holding the presence of positive factors (Keyes, 2003; Ryff & Singer, 1998; Suldo & Shaffer, 2008). The switch from only focusing on negative factors to incorporating positive factors as well brought more traction to the growing field of positive psychology, defined as “the scientific study of positive experiences and positive individual traits, and the institutions that facilitate their development” (Duckworth, Steen, & Seligman, 2005, p. 630). Inclusion of both positive indicators of wellness combined with negative indicators of …

An Analysis Of (Hu)Manid Using The Usf Donated Skeletal Collection: Estimating Sex And Ancestry For Edentulous Individuals, Natalie S. Wise

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Human Mandible Identification program, (hu)MANid©, enables anthropologists to estimate the sex and ancestry of unidentified skeletal remains from metric and morphoscopic variables from the mandible. The program is suitable for a variety of anthropological contexts, including forensic casework and bioarchaeological or paleoanthropological analyses. The purpose of this research project is to test the accuracy and applicability of the (hu)MANid program on edentulous mandibles. While the authors of (hu)MANid warn against data collection for edentulous mandibles, there are many circumstances in applied forensic casework where the unidentified person is edentulous. Edentulous individuals experience alveolar resorption, which is the loss of …

Aligning Clinical Productivity Of Cancer Care Providers: A Simulation-Based Approach, Maile Sinclair-Baxter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The growing number of cancer patients over the years has presented many challenges and opportunities for improvement in the healthcare system. These challenges and opportunities have demonstrated the need for a tool that can enhance the clinical productivity of healthcare providers, ultimately impacting patients’ overall experience. We studied the clinical Full Time Equivalency (cFTE) for providers at a cancer research center. cFTE is the percentage of time allocated for clinical work. In this cancer research center, the clinical work of each provider is supposed to match a targeted cFTE. The cancer research center’s concern was that the provider’s clinical productivity …

Using Brain Break® In The Classroom To Increase On-Task Behavior And Decrease Disruptive Behaviors Of Students, Michaela C. Elza

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Off-task and disruptive behavior are one of the greatest causes to loss of instructional time in the classroom. Teachers spend time addressing student challenging behaviors which consequently cuts time from their academic instruction. Antecedent exercise programs, such as Brain Breaks®, provide teachers with short physical activity videos that provide students a movement break between long periods of academics without the need for expensive equipment. This study evaluated the effects of Brain Breaks® videos to increase students’ on-task and decrease disruptive behaviors in the classroom. Three participants were included in this study, Jordan a 6-year-old male, Andrew an 8-year-old male, and …

Evaluating The Use Of Behavioral Skills Training And Tactile Prompts To Increase Positive Staff Interactions In Residential Care, Kaleigh R. Cernosek

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Youth in residential care are often victims of maltreatment and are more likely to be revictimized. Residential facilities tend to be restrictive and punitive based, often implementing restraints as an intervention. Previous research has shown that a positive living climate is essential for increasing quality of life and meeting treatment goals. Building rapport between staff and youth can help promote a positive living climate and positively impact youth behavior. Behavior-specific praise (BSP) has been evaluated in school settings to increase student engagement and compliance. However, there has been limited research on the effects of increasing BSP in residential facilities. Therefore, …

Advancing Adversarial Audio: Human-In-The-Loop Black-Box Attacks, Rui Duan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adversarial audio attacks pose significant security challenges to real-world audio applications. Attackers may manipulate speech to impersonate a speaker, gaining access to smart devices like Amazon Echo. In audio applications, there are two key areas: music and speech. In music, most attackers create a small noise-like perturbation on the original signal to evade copyright detection. However, this method degrades music's perceived quality for human listeners. In the speech, creating an adversarial example often requires many queries to the target model, a process too cumbersome for practical use in real-world scenarios, like interacting with smart devices numerous times.

In this dissertation, …

Teacher-Implemented Accumulated And Distributed Schedules In The Classroom Setting, Jessica S. Benevides

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emotional behavior disorders (EBDs) are becoming increasingly more common in schools (Forness et al., 2012). Challenging behavior can negatively impact a teacher’s implementation of classroom management strategies which can be detrimental to student outcomes (Garwood et al., 2017; Gilmour et al., 2022) and increase the risk for teacher burnout (Fernet et al., 2012). Evidence-based strategies such as differential reinforcement have been shown to be effective at reducing challenging behavior (Boniecki & Moore, 2003; Petscher et al., 2009). Moreover, accumulated and distributed reinforcer arrangements using tokens have been shown to both reduce challenging behavior and increase task engagement (Chen et al., …

Skinny And Curvy And Muscular, Oh My! Examining Co-Occurring Appearance Ideals And Associated Disordered Eating In College Women, Laura E. Boyajian

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research examining appearance ideal internalization has primarily focused on the thin ideal, neglecting the growing importance of alternative appearance ideals (e.g., curvy, muscular). Qualitatively, women report that these ideals are not internalized in isolation, but instead, are internalized simultaneously. Importantly, the simultaneous internalization of appearance ideals may enhance the negative effects of appearance ideal internalization. The current study tested whether simultaneously internalizing diverse appearance ideals (i.e., thin, curvy, muscular) was associated with increased body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors in a predominantly White (Study 1; N= 260) and racially/ethnically diverse (Study 2; N=264) samples of college-aged women. Participants reported the …

From Guns To Intimate Partner Violence: The Impact Of Power And Control, Meaghan E. Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gun violence and intimate partner violence are pervasive public health concerns across the globe. Notably, previous literature has shown a positive relationship between gun ownership and intimate partner violence (IPV), even when a gun is not used during acts of IPV. Despite this established link, few studies to date have explored psychological mechanisms, especially feelings of and desire for power, that could explain this relationship among young men. Given that college students remain one of the most at-risk groups for both victimization and perpetration of IPV, examining the relationship between actual or intended gun ownership and IPV could close vital …

Trajectories Of Well-Being: Results From The Americans’ Changing Lives Study, Cassondra M. Lyman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is considerable interest in elucidating the dynamics of well-being over long periods of time, including how well-being dynamics are influenced by depression. The Americans' Changing Lives (ACL) study has followed the health and well-being of a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States for 25 years (N1986 = 3,617; N1989 = 2,867; N1994 = 2,562; N2002 = 1,787, N2012 = 1,427). Leveraging data from the ACL study, the present investigation employed growth mixture models to identify unobserved subpopulations (i.e., latent classes) typified by change in well-being over time. Three predominant trajectories for well-being were identified: relative stability …

Improving Academic Engagement And Task Completion Using Antecedent Physical Exercise In An Elementary School Classroom, Grace N. Maxwell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effectiveness of antecedent physical activity interventions in enhancing academic engagement and task completion among first-grade students displaying off-task behaviors. The research involved three student participants from a first grade general education classroom. An ABAB reversal design was used to assess the impact of the intervention. The intervention, implemented by the classroom teacher, consisted of short, structured physical activities conducted before targeted academic periods. Results revealed significant improvements in both academic engagement and task completion following the implementation of the physical activity interventions. The findings suggest that incorporating brief physical activities into daily classroom routines can lead …