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Multi Segment Finite Element Analysis Of The Lumbar Spine, James J. Doulgeris

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Finite element analysis of the spine has become popular over the past several decades. However, the current studies often use minimal specimens for modeling. The purpose of this study was to validate and analyze multiple finite element models with data from in vivo experiments and other finite element studies before future investigations. This study developed eight (8) lumbar spine (L2-L5) finite element models followed by finite element analysis of simulated bending in the six (6) basic motions. CT scans were obtained from four (4) males and four (4) females between the ages of forty-four (44) and seventy-three (73) years old. …

The Influence Of Obesity And Lifestyle Factors On Cognition In Middle-Aged And Older Adults, Andrew J. Fiscella

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Obesity has been linked to conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. While the relationship of these conditions with obesity is well-established, the relationship between obesity and cognitive function is murkier.

Study 1 examined the association between being overweight or obese and performance on tests of executive function and episodic memory. The possibility that overweight/obesity affects cognition differently in middle vs. older age was also examined. Data from 6,012 participants in the 2018 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were used. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference were used as overweight/obesity measures. Neither BMI (p = .809) …

A Novel Role For Enos In Regulating Lymphatic Valve Development During Embryogenesis, Drishya Iyer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lymphedema is a disease that occurs when lymph flow is impaired, resulting in tissue swelling, fibrosis, chronic inflammation and recurrent secondary infections. Lymphatic valves play a critical role in maintaining unidirectional lymph flow and evidence for valve defects have been reported in lymphedema patients. The lack of drugs that can correct lymphatic valve defects warrants a better understanding of the molecular regulators of lymphatic valve development and maintenance. Lymphatic valves first develop during embryogenesis in response to mechanotransduction signaling pathways triggered by oscillatory lymph flow. Since eNOS (gene name: Nos3) is a well characterized mechanotransduction signaling molecule in blood vessels, …

Contribution Of Contextual Factors And Neuropathology To Dementia, Monica E. Nelson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that has extensive biological heterogeneity. It is not clear the extent to which this heterogeneity may be detected in participants without dementia, how it relates to incident AD dementia, and whether contextual factors may change how neuropathology relates to incident AD dementia. Therefore, this dissertation was completed using data from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI; n = 1,703) and the Czech Brain Aging Study (CBAS; n = 385) to address the following aims: to assess biological heterogeneity in participants without dementia, to relate this heterogeneity to incident AD dementia, and to …

Evaluating A Behavioral Intervention For Performance Blocks In Gymnastics, Cara L. Shapiro

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a gradual exposure and thought training treatment package to increase gymnasts’ successful completion of a performance block skill. Following baseline, the researchers implemented both a thought training procedure to alter participants’ negative thoughts into positive thoughts, and a gradual exposure procedure which included gymnastics drills that were small approximations to the performance block skill. A 2-point rating scale was used to indicate successful completion of the skills: 0= refusal, 1= the participant initiated the skill but failed to complete it successfully, 2= the participant initiated the skill and completed it successfully. Rating …

Exploring The Risk Narratives Of Transgender People Engaged In Do-It-Yourself Hormone Replacement Therapy, Brianna Rae Cusanno

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation analyzed the risk narratives of transgender people engaged in do-it- yourself hormone replacement therapy. Transgender (trans) people, those whose gender identities and/or expressions defy normative constructions of gender, experience a variety of health inequities as a consequence of systemic oppression within U.S. society. Many of the health inequities observed in trans people can be traced to structural determinants, such as discrimination at home, work, and school that results in housing, food, and social instability. Yet, medical and public health researchers have often attributed trans health inequities to “high risk” behaviors in which trans people engage.

One such behavior …

Geoarchaeology Of Estuarine Seascapes In Tampa Bay, Florida., Kendal R. Jackson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the geological, ecological, and archaeological histories of Tampa Bay, Florida’s largest open-water estuary system. Previous geoscientific and archaeological work has studied the evolution of Florida’s estuaries as ‘pre-anthropogenic’ ecosystems and conceptualized Indigenous maritime societies as mostly passive inhabitants of dynamic ‘natural’ environments. Further, the environmental legacies of more recent, industrial-scale estuary modification attending Florida’s 20th-century population boom have been understudied—leading to popular and scientific confusion about historical conditions. The work composing this dissertation research seeks to reconceptualize Tampa Bay as a complex mosaic of cultural seascapes that have been variously altered and modified by human societies across …

Policy And Leadership Accountability On Black Special Education Teacher Persistence, Brittany M. Holmes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a persistent shortage of qualified special education teachers in schools across the country. This issue is exacerbated by the need for special education teachers of color who can help serve the disproportionate number of minority students in schools. Over time, researchers and government entities, alike, have considered ways to increase the recruitment and retention efforts of Black teachers However, given the lack of investigation regarding the needs of Black teachers in special education and what encourages their persistence, efforts to increase representation have been unsuccessful. For this reason, using a qualitative methodology, the purpose of this study is …

Observed Error Monitoring As An Index Of Theory Of Mind, Kipras Varkala

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To thrive within our social environment, we must understand and learn from those around us. Theory of Mind (ToM) refers to our ability to put ourselves in other’s shoes to comprehend what they are thinking. Observed error monitoring (OEM) refers to detecting others’ mistakes in real time, which is ultimately thought of as a mechanism that supports our learning from those mistakes without personally having committed them. Current findings suggest that both ToM and OEM are dependent on one another when engaging in social learning. We first emulate the mental state of others to understand their goals motivations. We then …

Enhanced Methods In Forensic Mass Spectrometry For Targeted And Untargeted Drug Analysis, Dina M. Swanson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Forensic science has long used mass spectrometry for the analysis of drugsand metabolites. Traditionally, screening methods consisted of color tests or immunoassay and confirmation methods used gas chromatography with mass spectrometry, which was considered the gold standard for identification. In the last several decades, advances in liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LCMS) have brought this technology to the forefront of forensic drug identification. Drug identification in forensic drug chemistry and forensic toxicology has become increasingly challenging due to the rapid increase in illicit drug analogs including novel opioids such as fentanyl analogs. Traditional screening methodologies are often unable to identify …

Do Firms Overreact To The Enactment Of Corporate Laws: Evidence From Anti-Price Gouging Laws, Mario Marshall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The enactment of state corporate laws increases attention to issues related to price fairness.I present evidence that firms become less efficient in generating margins but not revenue upon enacting anti-price gouging laws. This finding is consistent with a prediction of salience theory that increased attention to unfair pricing induces firms to adopt more conservative pricing strategies. I provide evidence that companies that are more sensitive to unfair pricing risks have larger changes in efficiency. The results are consistent with the salience theory of choice and imply that attention that corporate laws generate may substantially impact firms.

Investigating Risk Factors Of The Development Of Compulsive Exercise And Eating Disorder Symptoms In College Students, Madeline Palermo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Compulsive exercise (e.g., high exercise frequency combined with the inability to reduce or stop exercising) is associated with a variety of maladaptive outcomes in college students, such as quality of life impairment, body dissatisfaction, and poor physical health outcomes. Recent research suggests that compulsive exercise is highly prevalent among college students and that engagement in compulsive exercise behaviors may increase over the first year of college. Given that college is an important developmental period for establishing behavioral patterns that affect long-term health, developing effective preventative interventions for compulsive exercise among early college students is paramount. Extant cross-sectional work suggests that …

Stable Isotopic Investigation Of The Hydrological Cycle Of West-Central Florida, Toedsit Netratanawong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Stable isotopic compositions of oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen were used to identify the sources of water and of organic matter, pathway reactions, evaporation processes, and transfer mechanisms among various water types as well as the extent of water-rock reactions. An attempt to understand the isotopic compositions of the hydrological cycle of west-central Florida, their variations, baseline levels and controlling mechanisms constitutes parts of this dissertation.

A comparison of δ¹⁸O in rainwater (weighted mean = -4.4 o/oo) and surficial ground water (mean = -4.1 o/oo) indicates that rainwater recharges the surficial aquifer with only a minor isotopic change. δ …

Fragmented Hours: The Biography Of A Devotional Book Printed By Thielman Kerver, Stephanie R. Haas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the most richly illustrated and widely-owned texts of the late medieval and early modern eras, books of hours are essential to the study of art, religion, and the history of the book. Fragmented and damaged books, while perhaps less coveted, are of particular value to researchers for what they may reveal about their owners as well as the changing meanings of devotional texts and images over more than five centuries of use. This thesis explores the compelling biography of a damaged book of hours preserved in the University of Florida Library. The book has undergone such extensive alteration prior …

Examining The Complexity Of Cross & Collaborative Selling And Service-Sales Ambidexterity In Multi-Practice Professional Service Firms, Eduardo A. Suarez-Solar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

What does it truly cost to acquire a new client? Managing Partners (MP) of Multi-Practice Professional Service Firms (MPPSF) have been asking themselves this question for years, mostly to no avail. The questions that should be deliberated are whether there exists an alternate method of acquiring new business in a more efficient, effective, and productive manner” and “whether such a procedure exists within the MPPSF that has not yet been fully developed? Neither of these questions can be determined until the following fundamental question is answered, namely whether and how does cross collaborative and service-sale ambidexterity sales occur within an …

“They’Re Still Trying To Wrap Their Head Around Forever”: An Anatomy Of Hope For Spinal Cord Injury Patients, William A. Lucas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation draws on ethnographic data to investigate the nature of spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation in Central Florida, using participant observation and interview data to understand how people with SCI (pwSCI) conceptualize their own disabilities after experiencing such radical alterations in their subjectivities. Using case studies and ethnographic vignettes, it argues that the extreme double binds in which pwSCI find themselves (where they are personally ordinarily disabled and socially extraordinarily novel; and where they are enabled resources to pursue “hopeful” therapy modalities while being designated as hopelessly disabled) is further polarized by the various legislative regimes of truth in …

A Seismic Investigation Of Uturuncu Volcano And The Lazufre Volcanic Complex, Heather L. Mcfarlin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The following dissertation is a study of three seismological techniques used to determine the geophysical properties of two large, inflating magma bodies in the upper crust in South America: one under Uturuncu volcano and one beneath Lastarria and Cordon del Azufre volcanoes. First, I use the method of teleseismic receiver functions to image the top and bottom of the magma body beneath Uturuncu volcano. Depths to the top of this body vary between 6 and 12 km below sea level, while depths to the bottom vary between 13 and 22 km below sea level, with the thickness ranging from 6 …

Teaching Behavioral Contingencies To Young Children With Asd Using Contingency Mapping, Marqueline Cenatus

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often exhibit problem behavior in schools, which negatively impacts their educational outcomes. Unfortunately, teachers continue to have difficulty addressing problem behavior in the classroom. Contingency mapping is a visual representation of the contingencies for engaging in a desired and undesired behaviors, which has been found to improve student behavior in the classroom setting. The current study examined the use of the contingency mapping intervention for young children with ASD. Specifically, the study examined the extent to which the contingency mapping intervention result in a decrease of off-task behavior during natural classroom activities. Three young …

Development And Evaluation Of Interactive Computerized Training To Teach Practitioners To Implement Safety Skills Training, Rasha R. Baruni

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Children can experience unintentional injuries due to safety threats found in their environments (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008). Researchers have shown that children can be taught safety responses using behavioral skills training (BST) and in situ training (IST). Within the safety skills literature, there is evidence that manualized interventions are effective for teaching parents and teachers to deliver BST (Gross et al., 2007; Novotny et al., 2020). An approach that has not been evaluated for teaching safety skills is interactive computerized training (ICT). The ICT approach employs technology to deliver trainings in the absence of a trainer (Gerencser …

Secure Reconfigurable Computing Paradigms For The Next Generation Of Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning Applications, Brooks Olney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have been popular tools for data analysis at the edge, particularly through complex deep and convolutional neural networks (DNNs/CNNs), which can learn to parameterize a function given a labeled dataset. Indeed, these technologies have enabled significant progress across a wide range of fields and are becoming ubiquitous. However, training the best model for an application and subsequently using them to evaluate data in real-time requires an immense amount of computational power. Typically, ``smart" sensors at the edge rely on the cloud to accelerate this computation due to power and compute …

Exploring Time-Varying Extraneous Variables Effects In Single-Case Studies, Ke Cheng

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The effect of time-varying extraneous variables has been studied in other statistical analyses such as using Kaplan–Meier or Cox regression analysis in survival analyses. Nonetheless, the effect of modeling versus not modeling individual specific time varying extraneous variables has not been explored in multiple-baseline single case designs through Monte Carlo simulation studies. Therefore, in my dissertation, I used simulation methods to explore for a variety of conditions (varying in the number of participants, number of observations per participant, type of extraneous variable effect, size of the true intervention effect) the impact of extraneous variables on bias and standard error of …

Standing Her Ground: Legal Constraints On Women Who Have Been Victims Of Violence, Janae E. Thomas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Women who have been the victim of violence have always been at a disadvantage under the laws in the United States because these laws stem from a patriarchal, sexist, heteronormative, and racist ideology under which this country was founded. Self- defense laws have shown to be no different and serve as a constraint to women who attempt to protect themselves at the hands of an abuser. This dissertation focuses on women who have been the victim of violence at the hands of an abuser to show that the law is not doing an adequate job of protecting them. It accomplishes …

Recovering Generators Of Principal Ideals Using Subfield Structure And Applications To Cryptography, William Youmans

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The principal ideal problem (PIP) is the problem of determining if a given ideal of a number field is principal, and if so, of finding a generator.Algorithms for resolving the PIP can be efficiently adapted to solve many hard problems in algebraic number theory, such as the computation of the class group, unit group, or $S$-unit group of a number field. The PIP is also connected to the search for approximate short vectors, known as the $\gamma$-Shortest Vector Problem ($\gamma$-SVP), in certain structured lattices called ideal lattices, which are prevalent in cryptography. We present an algorithm for resolving the PIP …

Please Don’T Label Me: An Examination Of Black-Owned Labels And How A Positive Consumer Activism Movement May Have A Negative Outcome, Khalia C. Jenkins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Covid-19 crisis that began in 2020 brought to light many societal issues as people had time to sit and reflect. One of these issues is the systemic injustices against African Americans, which were highlighted after the death of George Floyd. This event re-ignited the Black Lives Matter movement amongst U.S. citizens of all races and within corporations. While some companies pledged to donate to various Black causes, others opted to empower Black businesses economically by supporting the Buy-Black Movement. One of the ways they are accomplishing this goal is by adding a Black-owned label to products and businesses. While …

Training Parents Via Telehealth To Teach Manding To Children With Asd To Replace Problem Behavior, Sukarah Almulhim

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study assessed the effectiveness of using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) for parent training to implement functional behavior training and video modeling via a telehealth platform designed to increase manding abilities and to decrease problem behaviors with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). With eight participants, this study used a multiple-baseline design across subjects (four parents and four children with ASD). The research was divided into three phases: parent training, baseline, and intervention. BST was administered remotely from the United States through synchronous video conferencing with families in different countries in the Middle East. All parents were able to learn …

Intimate Conversations: A Mixed-Methods Study Of African American Father-Adolescent Sexual Risk Communication, Shanda A. Vereen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Approximately 50% of African American (AA) high school students are sexually active and a large proportion of sexually active AA students report engaging in sexual risk behaviors such as not using condoms at last intercourse. Consequently, AA adolescents in the United States experience outcomes of risky sexual behaviors at high rates. Evidence shows parents have an effect on shaping adolescent attitudes, values, and beliefs regarding sex through sexual risk communication (SRC). Although parent-adolescent SRC is associated with reductions in sexual risk behaviors among AA adolescents, research has primarily focused on mothers. While parents acknowledge that SRC is traditionally viewed …

Transformative Psychedelic Experiences At Music Events: Using Subjective Experience To Explore Chemosocial Assemblages Of Culture, Gabrielle R. Lehigh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Clinical interest in psychedelic treatments in the United States started in the 1950s, but anti-drug policy and anti-social sentiments quickly thwarted future research. The last decade has renewed clinical interest in using psychedelics to treat a diversity of mental health ailments. While these studies provide essential protocols, treatments, and therapy models for patients, they are limited in understanding the role of the contextual elements that influence psychedelic experiences and outcomes. This project examines how people use psychedelic substances outside medical settings by studying transformative psychedelic experiences at music events. This inquiry into psychedelic use utilizes an integrated framework of chemoethnography …

Karl Marx On Human Flourishing And Proletarian Ethics, Sam Badger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation will show that Marx’s philosophy contains a notion of human “second nature” centered on the activity of labor with a corresponding class-centered theory of flourishing and emancipation. This notion shares important similarities with that of Aristotle but also differs in significant ways. Second nature for Marx is created and habituated through education and social labor. Moreover, human nature is molded into different forms as history progresses and modes and means of production change. In a class society everyone becomes is alienated from their nature in a way that inhibits their flourishing. This contrasts with an emancipated society, where …

Relationships Between Leading And Trailing Indicators At Construction Sites In Yanbu Industrial City, Saudi Arabia, Anas H. Halloul

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Statement of Purpose: This study sought to assess the relationship between leading and lagging indicators in construction safety Management in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In particular, it sought to determine whether construction sites with higher leading indicators predicted fewer incidents/accidents.Rationale for Study: Construction safety management is a critical occupational health concern globally. Scholars have researched approaches to improve safety measures and performance in construction sites. However, there is little discourse assessing the relationship between the leading indicators and the occurrence of incidents and accidents in construction sites. General Methods: A quantitative analysis was used in this study. Data were …

Evaluation Of A Prototype Deep Learning-Based Autosegmentation Algorithm On A High Quality Database Of Head And Neck Cancer Radiotherapy Patients, Jihye Koo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is devoted to the study of deep learning-based autosegmentation in head and neck radiotherapy. Much of the work presented here is motivated by the need to introduce a clinically useful autosegmentation model for head and neck organs at risk, with the aim of reducing inter-observer variation in structure segmentation and enhancing time efficiency of the treatment planning process. This dissertation describes autosegmentation approaches, introduces a prototype deep learning-based autosegmentation algorithm trained with carefully curated local gold data, and presents a series of comprehensive evaluations to verify the feasibility of implementing the prototype model in clinical settings.

One of …