Digital Commons Network^™

Using Critical Race Theory To Examine Race And Racism In Social Work Education, Ebony Nicole Perez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Race and racism have proven to be a core concept of U.S. society that impacts People of Color through a set of challenges which have created and maintained enduring racial disparities and inequities. The social work profession has a time-honored commitment to working with and advocating historically marginalized populations. Social workers work with individuals, groups, and communities to help assess needs, strengths, support networks, respond to crisis situations, and advocate for social justice. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the experiences of undergraduate social work educators (BSWEs) who teach to encourage the development of students’ knowledge, …

Reducing Underrepresentation: Promising Practices In Florida, Catherine A. Mullins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I examined representation rates of gifted students from diverse backgrounds in Florida county school districts. Florida state legislation governing gifted student education allows for alternative identification methods to be used for students from underrepresented groups if plans for such identification are approved by the Florida Department of Education; however, this option, informally referred to as “Plan B” after subsection B of the legislation governing gifted services, is not a requirement that districts must follow. Consequently, there are large differences in the ways districts identify underrepresented students for gifted services. State legislation identifies underrepresented populations as students with …

“We Can Learn Some Things From Them, But They Can Learn Some Things From Us Too”: Intergenerational Perceptions Of Shared Infant Feeding Information, Alexis L. Woods Barr

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Breastfeeding is associated with unparalleled benefits for infants, mothers, families and society. In light of the breastfeeding disparities and health disparities experienced by the African American community, their women and children stand to gain the most from breastfeeding practices compared to other first-food feeding methods. Moreover, African American mothers are constantly exposed to messages, images, and stereotypes about motherhood (from multiple channels of communication) which influences their infant feeding practices. Many of these exposures send mixed messages and tend to be cultural contradictions of Black motherhood. What complicates this issue is the shortage of research that investigates the intergenerational infant …

“Man Plans But Ultimately, God Decides”: A Phenomenological Investigation Of The Contextual Family Planning Beliefs Of Recently Resettled Congolese Refugee Women In West Central Florida., Linda Bomboka Wilson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Existent demographic changes in the United States are largely a result of the current international refugee crisis. Within the past three years, there has been an influx of refugees who were affected by the wars in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Congolese refugees were the highest number of all refugee groups to arrive in the United States in Fiscal Years 2016-2018, yet little is known about their lived experiences, particularly as they apply to reproductive health and family planning in general. Congolese refugee women who resettle in the United States are unique because many lived in refugee camps for …

Exploration Of Gratitude In Cardiovascular Health: Mediators, Medication Adherence And Psychometrics, Lakeshia A. Cousin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the effect of gratitude on cardiovascular health outcomes using mediators, medication adherence, and psychometrics. The specific aims were to (1) establish the state of the science for gratitude and cardiovascular health outcomes via a state-of-the-science literature review, (2) explore mediators affecting gratitude and medication adherence using a structural equation model in patients with cardiovascular disease, and (3) analyze the psychometric properties of the Gratitude Questionnaire-6, a self-report questionnaire designed to assess individual differences to express dispositional gratitude, to provide evidence for the validity and reliability of the instrument in African Americans at …

Taking An “Ecological Turn” In The Evaluation Of Rhetorical Interventions, Peter Cannon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation seeks to develop a new method for the evaluation and assessment of therapeutic libraries in a health ecology. To do so, I employ a modified version of Lloyd Bitzer’s rhetorical situation as a methodological tool for the investigation of health ecologies by applying an ecological analysis to an alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment center in Tampa, Florida. By modifying Bitzer’s rhetorical situation schema and expanding the concept of health ecologies, I develop several innovations useful for tracing the impact of actants and rhetorical events specific to health and medicine. A major focus of this dissertation is a …

Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Food Policy Coalitions In Strengthening Community Food Security In The United States., Joseph G. England Iii

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food insecurity is experienced most acutely and addressed most innovatively at the community level to which the concept of community food security (CFS) finds purchase (Hamm and Bellows, 2003). In recognition of the many varying dynamics embedded in the CFS concept, Food Policy Coalitions have become an organizational model adapted by communities across the United States. While FPCs have grown in number considerably over the last decade, there remains a considerable lack of empirical research documenting evaluation and engagement methods, as well as strategies used to address community food security. This research, framed by the Community Coalition Action Theory, draws …

An Assessment Of The Role Of Florida Pharmacists In The Administration Of Inactivated Influenza Vaccine To Pregnant Women, Oluyemisi O. Falope

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The influenza vaccine is a safe and effective vaccine in preventing influenza infection in the general population. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend that pregnant women receive influenza inactivated vaccine (IIV) due to the high morbidity and mortality associated with influenza infection in pregnant women. Despite the recommendation, the U.S. national influenza vaccine uptake rates among pregnant women continue to remain low. Studies have shown barriers to influenza vaccine uptake in pregnant women to include issues with access, unavailability of vaccine, and lack of time during prenatal visits. These barriers can be overcome using pharmacists because, among healthcare providers, …

Understanding The Family Planning Care Experiences Of Young Black Women Using An Intersectionality Mixed Methods Approach, Rachel G. Logan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Black women in the U.S. disproportionately experience unintended pregnancy, particularly as compared to their white counterparts. When racial and ethnic disparities in reproductive health are combined with other marginalized identities, such as low social status and young age, Black women’s risk of negative health outcomes may increase and further produce disadvantage.

Objective: The overall objective of this research was to understand the family planning care experiences of young Black women.

Methods: This study used a transformative mixed methods design to understand young Black women’s most recent family planning care experience in the last 12 months through Intersectionality, Psychological Reactance, …

Adolescent Identity Exploration And Civic Identity Development In A U.S. Government Classroom, Sarah Mead Denney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As technological advances provide minute-by-minute updates of current events and personalized media feeds push the boundaries of political polarization, the task of social studies educators to provide students with the tools to become effective citizens becomes increasingly important. Undergirded by theories of psychosocial identity development, civic identity development, and the promotion of identity exploration in the academic curriculum, this qualitative multiple case study attempts to examine the processes of adolescent identity exploration and civic identity development in relation to the assignments and activities in a twelfth-grade Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. Government classroom. Classroom observations, teacher and student interviews, and artifact …

The Experiences Of African American Male Computer Science Majors In Two Year Colleges, Simone Brookins Jenkins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the field of computer science grows and the computing science workforce demands more qualified workers, the United States workforce will require underrepresented minorities to help meet these demands. African American males are a demographic that can help meet this need but there are few of them pursuing computer science careers and successfully graduating with computer science degrees. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of African American male two-year college students who are in pursuit of a degree in computer science. My findings indicated that the study participants’ experiences such as positive interactions with faculty …

Epidemiological Analysis Of Malaria Decrease In El Salvador From 1955 Until 2017, Tatiana I. Gardellini Guevara

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The disease of malaria is complex, with clinical presentation that ranges from severe and complicated to mild and uncomplicated or even to asymptomatic malaria. A recent effort made by several world organizations has shown important advances in the effort to control and eradicate malaria. Following the general ordinance established by the trans-border organizations, each country has tried to define, according to their local geopolitical scenario, individual ¨road maps¨ to succeed in reducing the morbidity and mortality caused by malaria. Moreover, it is now accepted universally that these road maps need to be revised and appropriated in order to correct actions …

"The Weak Are Meat, And The Strong Do Eat"; Representations Of The Slaughterhouse In Twentieth And Twenty-First Century Literature, Stephanie Lance

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores how literary representations of the slaughterhouse predict the trajectory of human greed that is fueled by capitalist economic practices that shape environmental policies. I argue that literature brings attention to what is generally hidden from public view: the way humans and animals are erased in the production of food, which includes the inhumane treatment of humans and other animals in the slaughterhouse. The literature in this dissertation provides an avenue through which we can investigate the entangled oppression of humans and other animals in an effort to challenge perceptions that reduce animals, and marginalized humans, to objects. …

Multimodal Treatment And Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Trends, Utilization And Survival Effects In Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma – A Propensity Score Analysis, Ovie Utuama

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinomas (ICC) are fatal malignancies common among the elderly. Patients are diagnosed late and often relapse, even after curative-intent surgery (CIS). In this context, additional systemic chemotherapy (multimodal treatment) is recommended for most patients but reported survival benefits are minimal and are limited to small single institutional studies. For this reason, using a national cancer registry, we sought to characterize multimodal treatment trends and utilization in general and neoadjuvant chemotherapy, specifically, as well as evaluate their survival effects among the larger population. We hypothesized that, 1). Elderly ICC patients would have survival benefits equivalent to younger patients, 2). Neoadjuvant …

Developing A Computer-Managed Mentor Matching System For Graduate Students, Donna J. Knudsen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Changes to the higher education landscape resulting from digital-age advancements in technology limit the opportunities for doctoral students and faculty to find one another for research and mentorship pairings as they once did when higher education was a wholly brick and mortar enterprise. Further, doctoral student attrition has remained unmoved at approximately 50% since the 1990s, with studies consistently citing the absence of mentoring (or doctoral students’ dissatisfaction with their mentors) as chief among the factors that contribute to the high rate of attrition. Some predict that the rate of doctoral attrition is as much as 20% higher for programs …

An Autobiographical Narrative Of A Principal's Personal Journey With Autonomy, Delilah Rabeiro

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Educational reform and state policies have stripped principals and teachers of autonomy, and this has been attributed as one of the reasons why teachers leave the profession. Adamson (2012) stated, "To implement reform at their school sites, principals need a certain degree of autonomy. This study sought to understand what I experienced of autonomy as I embarked on my journey as a principal of a turnaround school; what I did, or did not do, to extend autonomy to teachers; and what I came understand about autonomy in this turnaround setting.

This was an autobiographical narrative inquiry (Freeman, 2007; Saleh, Menon, …

An Investigation Into The Heterogeneity Of Insect Arylalkylamine N-Acyltransferases, Brian G. O'Flynn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Arylalkylamine N-acyltransferases (AANATs) have in recent years been suggested as potential new insecticide targets. These promiscuous enzymes are involved in the N-acylation of biogenic amines to form N-acylamides. Mammalian AANAT is predominantly associated with circadian rhythm regulation, as it catalyzes the formation of N-acetylserotonin, the precursor of melatonin, from serotonin. In insects, this process is a key step in melanism, as well as hardening of the cuticle, removal of biogenic amines, and in the biosynthesis of fatty acid amides. The unique nature of each insect AANAT (iAANAT) isoform characterized indicates that while catalyzing similar reactions, each insect accommodates …

“I Can’T Complete This Template”: The Complexities Of Using Asset-Based Discourse In Schools, Anthony P. Jones

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I analyzed three important documents to principals in Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) in Florida for the presence of deficit and asset-based discourse. I chose the documents for this study because of their impact on my practice as a Principal in HCPS. The first document is the template for the school improvement plan (SIP) required of all schools in Florida who fall under the Differentiated Accountability (DA) status in Florida. The second document is the HCPS principal evaluation rubric used to evaluate principal practice in the district. The third document is the HCPS Tell teacher perception inventory …

Reading Rape And Answering With Empathy: A New Approach To Sexual Assault Education For College Students, Brianna Jerman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The issue of sexual assault on college campuses is addressed in part by a mandate that all college students complete some form of sexual assault education. While current education programs have proven successful in teaching bystander education and dispelling rape myths, they have not proven to increase reporting rates while also decreasing the number of sexual assaults. This dissertation makes a pedagogical argument for a new approach to sexual assault and prevention education at the college level that would use literary rape narratives to dispel sexual assault myths, teach trauma theory principles, and address intersectional aspects of rape culture with …

Understanding The Influence Of The Cancer Microenvironment On Metabolism And Metastasis, Shonagh Russell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cancer is a complex and heterogeneous disease. Not only is there considerable variability between different cancer types, but there is enormous variability between and within patients who have the same type of cancer. Within tumors, there are multiple cell types, including cancer cells, stromal cells, and immune cells. The tumor microenvironment often induces the healthy cells to become pro-tumorigenic. Cell metabolism is exquisitely sensitive to changes in the tumor microenvironment and can be measured to infer the aggressiveness of cancer and predict response to therapy. In this dissertation, we aim to understand how the microenvironment, specifically low pH, affects the …

Desertification Risk Analysis Based On Soils And Climate In Olive Cultivated Areas In Tulare County, California, Zehra Kavakli Karatas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Desertification is one of the most critical environmental problems caused by human activities and climate change. As a result of human activities, land degradation has been seen in many agricultural areas. Intense pressure on cultivated fields causes loss of soil fertility, which can then lead to desertification. Planting plant drought-resistant plants, such as olives, is one strategy for reducing desertification risk in cultivated areas. It is essential to find a way not only how to combat this process but also how to adapt or survive with desertification conditions. Defining desertification risks have a fundamental role in combating drought. The goal …

Sorption Of Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene And Different Ratios Of Mixture Solvent By Plasticized Pema Films Using A Qcm Sensor, Xinpeng Li

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

VOCs (volatile organic compounds) can cause great harm to human health especially benzene, toluene and ethylbenzene. In this work a Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) sensor with a polymer/plasticizer film was developed to quantify the VOCs both in air and water. QCM is an acoustic wave sensor that can be used well in detecting the aromatic compounds in the film. Because more than one VOC is present in the air, this thesis focuses on finding the sorption of different ratios of VOCs (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene) using a polymer/plasticizer film in QCM. Poly (ethyl methacrylate) (PEMA) was used as the polymer because …

Enhancing Secrecy And Capacity Of Wireless Systems Using Directive Communications, Mohammed A. Hafez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The emerging advances in wireless communications make it an essential component of our everyday life. Moreover, the current research aims towards involving wireless communications in health monitoring applications, which helps medical personnel to remotely keep track of the development of the condition of their patients. Such information is considered highly sensitive and may cause significant harm if acquired by an adversary. The wireless environment has a broadcast type of nature, where the emitted electromagnetic waves spread all over the surrounding area of the transmitting antenna. This broadcast nature raises a considerable concern about the secrecy of this sensitive information while …

Interventions To Improve Older Driver Safety, Bernadette A. Fausto

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increased longevity coupled with age-related declines that compromise driving safety and fragility render older adults as vulnerable road users (Oxley & Whelan, 2008). To address this public health concern, researchers continue to investigate interventions to improve older driver safety. The current dissertation consists of two papers examining: a) the state of the literature on older driver interventions and b) the efficacy of one approach, Useful Field of View cognitive training, to reduce at-fault crash involvement. The first paper sought to identify and quantify the effects of different interventions among older adults on outcomes of crashes, on-road driving performance, self-reported outcomes …

Evaluating The Effect Of Temperature On A Human Parasite And Its Intermediate Snail Host: Implications For A Changing Climate, Karena H. Nguyen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Global climate change is impacting the emergence, re-emergence, prevalence, and incidence of infectious diseases worldwide, including parasitic diseases of humans (Blum and Hotez 2018). Neglected tropical diseases, defined as a group of parasitic diseases affecting developing countries in the tropics (Hotez et al. 2007), are of particular concern because these diseases occur in areas that are also expected to experience rapid population growth and agricultural development in the coming decades. As human population and food demand increase, the greater the likelihood of humans encountering intermediate hosts that either inhabit agricultural areas or are impacted by agricultural development, which will influence …

An Archaeological Investigation Of Enslavement At Gamble Plantation, S. Matthew Litteral

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I have compiled information from archives, remote sensing, and archaeological excavation to shed light upon an understudied chapter of Florida’s history, specifically, African American heritage components at Gamble Plantation. My goal is to provide a better understanding of the daily lives of enslaved individuals who were held in bondage at Gamble Plantation (8MA100), located along the Manatee River in Ellenton, Fl. Through my work, I hope to engage descendant communities in future archaeological research and promote a more balanced and inclusive historical narrative for Gamble Plantation State Park.

Chemolithotrophic Denitrification Of Nitrate Contaminated Groundwater Using Sulfur-Bearing Minerals, John Sutton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nitrate contamination in groundwater resources poses a serious threat, not only to the health of those who would drink it, but also as a potential nutrient for eutrophication. Current methods of nitrate removal can efficiently remove nitrate below 10 mg/L as nitrogen, but may require resources unavailable to small community water systems (SCWS). Sulfur-oxidizing biological denitrification is a promising alternative that may be more suitable for SCWS. Sulfur-oxidizing denitrification has previously been shown to have a high nitrate removal efficiency; however, it produces water high in sulfate. Utilization of sulfide-bearing minerals, rather than elemental sulfur as an electron donor, may …

Fewer Wetlands More Connectivity: Implications Of Land Use-Land Cover Change In An Agricultural Landscape, Stephanie Lawlor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

St. Lucie County (SLC) is a 1,782 km2 area in east-central Florida that drains to the Nationally Significant Indian River Lagoon (IRL). It is low lying and nearly level, with widespread non-floodplain wetlands (NFWs) and few natural channels. NFWs comprise the vast majority of SLC wetlands, both in terms of numbers and area. Since the early 20th century, SLC has undergone extensive land use-land cover (LULC) change and is now characterized by citrus farming in the interior and municipalities on its eastern coast on the Atlantic Ocean. This LULC change has been made possible by the construction of an extensive …

A Research On Esports Users’ Motives And Satisfaction In China The Case Of League Of Legends, Qianyin Sun

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research mainly explores the motives and satisfaction of Chinese eSports users. Due to the changing role of eSports in China this year, the attitude of Chinese society towards eSports has changed from depreciation to praise, and the identity of belonging sense of game players has become one of the motives for them to continue playing League of Legends (LOL). In addition, as a milestone in eSports field, the playability of LOL itself and its pastime and social functions as a mass media will affect the motives and satisfaction of players. This survey used online survey to investigate the satisfaction …

Isokinetic Sampling Efficiency Differences For Blunt Edge Vs Sharp Edge Sampling Probes, Cory A. Treloar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project aims to determine if sampling efficiency differences are present between a sharp edge probe and a blunt edge probe during isokinetic sampling. To answer this question, isokinetic sampling was performed inside a wind tunnel. Sampling was performed with the sharp edge probe and compared to data previously obtained using the blunt edge probe. Two different particle sizes were used, 0.50 m and 2.00 m, at air velocities of 0.5 m/s, 1.0 m/s and 2.0 m/s in the wind tunnel. Results showed that there is a difference in sampling efficiency between the two probes and a larger difference in …