Digital Commons Network^™

Morphometry And Density Analysis Of The Fifth Metacarpal, Amrita Unnikumaran

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The fifth metacarpal bone fracture is a common type of fracture among the young male population. With the increasing demand for early recovery from such fractures with surgical reduction, the medical manufacturers and clinicians are interested in designing a better intramedullary device for fixation. This study is an attempt to investigate the dimensional parameters of the fifth metacarpal bone and its intramedullary canal, using 3D CT scan images of cadaveric hands. The algorithm used for measurement applies principal component analysis on the subject bone, to control the information loss and normalize the spatial position of the subject. This analysis provides …

Pathways To Parenthood: Attitudes And Preferences Of Eight Self-Identified Queer Women Living In Tampa Bay, Fl, Emily Noelle Baker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This small-scale ethnographic study looks at the how queer women living in Florida imagine navigating family building decisions under the current climate of policies such as a lack of federal non-discrimination protections and the largely unregulated use of assisted reproductive technologies. Despite the federal legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States in 2015, state and county legislations continue to vary greatly on the extent of support they will provide for LGBTQ families. The goal of this research is to evaluate parenting desire, intentions, and preferences for queer women living in Tampa Bay since the passage of the Marriage Equality …

Sundaas Story: A Mixed-Methods Study Of Household Sanitation Provisioning In Urban Informal Housing In India, Sarita Vijay Panchang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aims of this research were to examine sanitation insecurity in urban informal housing through the lens of the built environment, social disparities, and health implications. While the Millennium Development Goals for halving the global proportion of people without access to safe drinking water were met ahead of schedule, progress fell short for sanitation, creating new objectives for the Sustainable Development Goals to be met in 2030. Much research in the Global South is dedicated to community-level sanitation promotion, but often presumes a rural rather than urban setting. Urban informal housing settings constitute a unique challenge due to the range …

Exploring The Equity Performance Of Bike-Sharing Systems With Disaggregated Data: A Story Of Southern Tampa, Zhiwei Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The rising adoption of bike-sharing systems brings significant benefits to individuals and society as a whole. However, whether these benefits are distributed throughout society in a fair manner is still an open question. This study presents a methodological framework for assessing the equity performance of bike-sharing systems, with Coast Bike Share system in southern Tampa as a case study. The framework integrates three different datasets: bike-sharing infrastructure, individual travel itineraries and individual sociodemographic attribute data. With these datasets, we model individual accessibility to activity locations using bike-sharing as the mode of transportation by analyzing the “walking-cycling-walking” process of a bike-sharing …

Associations Between Mental Health, Academic Success, And Perceived Stress Among High School Freshman In Accelerated Coursework, Andrew S. Jenkins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Youth in accelerated curricula programs are an understudied population in relation to groups who struggle academically. To date, few studies have been conducted examining relationships between psychopathology symptomology, life satisfaction, academic achievement, and perceived stress. To address this, the current study completed a secondary analysis of an archival dataset in order to expand upon previous research into the predictive relationships between mental health (psychopathology and life satisfaction; beginning of year) and students’ subsequent academic achievement and perceived stress (assessed mid-year). Furthermore, the current study investigated the predictive effects of mid-year academic achievement (course grades) and perceived stress on students’ subsequent …

Autonomy, Suffering, And The Practice Of Medicine: A Relational Approach, Michael A. Stanfield

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this project, I argue that the conventional view of personal autonomy that is operational in contemporary American culture, bioethics and medical practice places undue emphasis on individualism and a limited range of personal qualities and attributes (such as self-sufficiency). Instead, I argue in favor of a relational approach to autonomy which recognizes that each person that exists has certain minimal connections or relations to others, and these connections/relations are identity-forming. Unfortunately, current medical practices have tended to overemphasize individuality and choice (consistent with the conventional view) while minimizing or excluding these relational aspects. As a result, informed consent and …

Students' Perceptions On Alternative Break Experiences And Selecting An Academic Major In A Four-Year College, Bianny Fernández Collado

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research shows that 50-80% of college students are exploratory/undecided or appear as declared and will change their major at least once. Although higher education institutions have developed and implemented several initiatives to assist students with selecting an academic major, students are struggling to reach this milestone. According to Gebhard (2015), real-world and experiential opportunities successfully prepare students to select an academic major. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative exploratory study is to describe in-depth a phenomenon: how a service-based experience, offered through an Alternative Breaks (aB) program may prepare student participants for the selection of an academic major. The study …

Restoring International Justice: Exposing The Limitations Of Retributive Justice And Proposing A Restorative Dimension, Nazek Jawad

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation exposes the limitation of international retributive justice in realizing interstate reconciliation and proposes including a restorative dimension into the existing international criminal justice system. I maintain that justice within the international criminal system is conceptualized purely on a punitive notion influenced by the liberal institutionalist understanding of the state and the international system. Hence, the current retributive structure does not engage rival stakeholders, who experience interstate wars, in the process of international justice, as it is centered on upholding international law and punishing states that violate the law. To this end, the current process is not equipped to …

Multimodal Emotion Recognition Using 3d Facial Landmarks, Action Units, And Physiological Data, Diego Fabiano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To fully understand the complexities of human emotion, the integration of multiple physical features from different modalities can be advantageous. Considering this, this thesis presents an approach to emotion recognition using handcrafted features that consist of 3D facial data, action units, and physiological data. Each modality independently, as well as the combination of each for recognizing human emotion were analyzed.

This analysis includes the use of principal component analysis to determine which dimensions of the feature vector are most important for emotion recognition. The proposed features are shown to be able to be used to accurately recognize emotion and that …

The Relationship Between Continuous Glucose Monitor (Cgm) Derived Metrics And Indices Of Glycemic Control, Ryan Bailey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Both hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) and hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) are common among individuals with type 1 diabetes and are associated with severe medical complications, therefore it is essential that health care providers are able to accurately measure glycemic control. Measures derived from continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) may provide more accurate measurements of glycemia than the commonly used HbA1c blood test.

Methods: Data from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) clinical trial to assess the efficacy of continuous glucose monitoring was used to estimate the ability of CGM composite scores to predict time in range, time in hyperglycemia and …

The Combined Effect Of Heat And Corona Charge On Molecular Delivery To A T-Cell Line In-Vitro, Molly A. Skinner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gene therapy and immunotherapy are new up and coming fields in cancer treatment. In August of 2017, the first gene therapy was FDA approved called CAR-T cell therapy("FDA approval brings first gene therapy to the United States," 2017). This therapy uses the patient’s

own T-cells that are genetically modified to attack the cancerous cells. Currently, it takes 4-6 weeks to genetically modify these T-cells, which can be the difference between life and death for a cancer patient (Cheng, Jun, Jiang, & Xi, 2017). There is evidence that gene electrotransfer can help expedite the genetic modification process by having an easy …

Controlling Turnover In An Inside Sales Organization: What Are The Contributing Factors, Dennis H. Kimerer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The turnover rate for inside sales team, particularly in Central Florida, is exceedingly high. I have experienced this negative scenario managing inside sales teams for two major Telecom companies over the past 11 years, having as many as 40% of the salesforce resign within 30 days. Organizational costs to hire a new salesperson can be as high as 300% of the replaced employee’s salary and take as long as eight months to reach full productivity. The purpose of this research is to determine the internal and external factors that impact a salesperson’s propensity to leave a company. This qualitative research …

Development And Validation Of Wireless Sensors For Applications To Human Head Angular And Mechanical Motions, Karthick Natesan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this project, we programmed a 9 degree of freedom Razor sensor, which incorporates an accelerometer and gyroscope to measure the head linear and angular motions produced by activities of daily living (ADL). The majority of studies concentrate on linear accelerations, so the purpose of this study is to determine the importance of both linear and angular components of acceleration in everyday activities and find interlinked relation between them. The sensor was validated using another calibrated and validated system. The general size and wireless nature make this sensor very suitable for use with human subjects. After obtaining informed consent, we …

Roma Girls Expressing Identity, Aspirations, And Voice Through Participatory Arts-Based Research, Crista Kaye Banks

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The methods by which Roma girls are studied and represented, do not account for their individual expressions of identity, aspirations or voice. Experiences and voices of Roma girls have rarely been seen or heard and have been consistently defined and represented by non-Roma individuals throughout history and within academia, which has perpetuated stereotypes. Interpretations of the image and lives of the Romani are permeated with misperceptions, myths, and assumptions based on stereotypical definitions.

This study uses the arts-based method of mixed media collage with Roma girls in London, England, to understand their expressions of identity, aspirations, and voice. This arts-based, …

Phenomenological Study Of Toxic Leadership In The U.S. Military, Anthony L. Hinen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current literature shows toxic leadership is surprisingly more prevalent than previously believed. This subset of organizational leadership studies revolves around leadership styles that poison the employee, the organization, or both. This study captures a common phenomenon for toxic leadership (symptoms) useful for diagnosing or addressing toxic leadership in organizations. My goal is to better understand toxic leadership to inform potential mitigation techniques that are applicable to business and military environments. My research suggests toxic leadership exists because senior leaders, those leaders above the toxic leader, allow it to exist, either unwittingly or knowingly. Furthermore, leaders can create toxic environments …

The Financial And Nonfinancial Performance Measures That Drive Utility Abandonments And Transfers In The State Of Florida, Daniel Acheampong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The down trending of investor-owned water and wastewater utilities and the continuous increase in utility abandonments and transfers within the regulatory environment motivated the study of investor-owned utilities, using samples from the state of Florida. The study determined the financial and nonfinancial drivers of utility andandonments and transfers. Using the NRRI and Acheampong et al. improved financial ratios, used in utility viability studies (liquidity ratio, leverage ratio, debt to equity ratio, profit trend ratio, growth and efficiency ratio, efficiency ratio, and the profitability ratio), the study identified sixteen nonfinancial performance measures under four categories (output measure, quality measures, owners’ equity …

Experiences Of Using Intelligent Virtual Assistants By Visually Impaired Students In Online Higher Education, Michele R. Forbes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In today’s world, the attainment of higher education impacts the acquisition of competitive employment and, thus, quality of life. As a group, persons with disabilities continually fall behind others in such academic progress, requiring new efforts to support their earning of advanced credentials. Though highly beneficial for these individuals, obtaining a degree comes with elevated levels of stress. As enrollment of students with disabilities grows in all formats of higher education, those involved must understand the stress endured by these students and how to diminish it. Theories speculate that technology, such as intelligent virtual assistants, may be a viable tool …

Probabilistic Modeling Of Democracy, Corruption, Hemophilia A And Prediabetes Data, A. K. M. Raquibul Bashar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parametric analysis of any real-world data is the most powerful tool to characterize the probabilistic behavior in social, economic, medical, epidemiological, and other areas of study. In the present study, we identify the theoretical Probability Distribution Function(PDF) for Democracy Index Scores (DIS) from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) database and estimate the maximum likelihood estimates of the theoretical PDFS. We also identify the individual PDFs for each of the clusters, Full Democracy, Flawed Democracy, Hybrid Regime, and Authoritarian Regime defined by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

A statistical model is a convenient instrument to predict the future value of any …

Using Flipped Classrooms To Teach Mathematics To Elementary Students In Saudi Arabia, Fawaz Alrouqi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During the years 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) revealed that students in Saudi Arabia had a below-average mathematics performance among 4th and 8th-grade students. The modern and innovative techniques and strategies of teaching, such as the flipped classroom method, should replace traditional teaching methods to improve the performance and growth of students. This qualitative multiple case study explores a deeper understanding of the perspectives and the experiences of three elementary mathematics teachers when using a flipped classroom model in Saudi Arabia. This case study shows a promise of using the flipped classroom …

Design And Implementation Of Degenerate Qpcr/Qrt-Pcr Primers To Detect Microbial Nitrogen Metabolism In Wastewater And Wastewater-Related Samples, Ryan F. Keeley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen cycling processes can be tracked using quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) to determine the presence and qReverse Transcriptase-PCR (qRT-PCR) to determine expression of key genes, or ‘biological markers’, for nitrogen metabolism. Nitrification is catalyzed in part, by two enzymes: ammonia monooxygenase (AMO; NH3 NH2OH) and nitrite oxidoreductase (NXR; NO2- NO3-). For denitrification, four enzymes act sequentially: nitrate reductase (NAR/NAP; NO3- NO2-), nitrite reductase (NIR; NO2- NO), nitric oxide reductase (NOR; NO  N2O), and nitrous oxide reductase (NOS; N2O  N2). A principle of wastewater treatment (WWT) is to remove excess nitrogen by taking advantage of natural nitrogen cycling …

On Her Own: A Qualitative Study On The College-To-Career Transition Of Black Second-Generation Alumnae, Ladessa Y. Mitchell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the college-to-career transition of Black second-generation alumnae in the development phase of emerging adulthood using Schlossberg’s (2011) Transition Model. As the researcher, I collected data from Black second-generation alumnae of predominantly White public universities in Florida to examine how their intersecting identities (i.e., race, gender, and educational status) and use of metaphorical capital (i.e., social, cultural, and human capital) influence their transition. The conceptual framework for this study is based on the 4 S’s of Schlossberg’s Transition Model as well as emerging adulthood, forms of capital, and the intersecting identities of …

Hybrid Fusion Protein For Inhibition Of Multiple Proteases For Chronic Wound Healing, Graham L. Strauss

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many diseases display a multitude of relevant factors that contribute to the persistence of the disease and difficulty treating it. The multifactorial characteristics of some diseases lead to the requirement of combination of treatments in order to restore health. The latter may necessitate the mixing of treatments, medications, and therapeutics to first halt the disease, then assist the human body in returning itself to a state of normality. For example, chronic wounds exhibit this multifactor characteristic in which there exist many factors that lead to the body’s inability to properly heal in a timely manner. This presents a further threat …

Mtss Implementation In High Schools: Expert And Stakeholder Perspectives, Julie Daye

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the perspectives of experts and school-level stakeholders on MTSS implementation in high schools. Despite evidence of MTSS implementation effectiveness in elementary and middle school settings, MTSS implementation still lags in high schools. In reviewing the literature on high school MTSS implementation, those who have worked to implement MTSS do not all do so with the same priorities and/or emphases. I collected and examined qualitative data that reflects the perspectives of experts and school-level stakeholders. Specifically, I also reviewed articles or book chapters written by some high school MTSS experts and interviewed them. I interviewed stakeholders working in …

Selling White Masculinity: An Analysis Of Cultural Intermediaries In The Craft Beverage Industry, Erik Tyler Withers

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to use the craft beverage industry as a case study in which to investigate how white masculinity is reproduced within consumer spaces. This study explores the roles that cultural intermediaries in the craft beverage industry play in the reproduction and contestation of white masculinity. Cultural intermediaries can be understood as tastemakers who play a large role in assigning value and legitimacy to products, practices and people within consumer industries. Intermediaries such as marketing and advertising firms, industry writers, and critics have been widely studied in the past. However, the day to day interactional work …

Thermal Response In A Field Oriented Controlled Three-Phase Induction Motor, Niyem Mawenbe Bawana

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The research conducted at the department of Electrical Engineering of the University of South Florida campus in Tampa only covers the electrical aspect of electric drives. However, the performance of electric machinery is significantly impacted by temperature variation. The

literature review shows three main control techniques in use today in electric drives namely, Scalar control, Direct Torque control and Field Oriented control.

This thesis presents a temperature rise of rotor bars, stator winding, stator core and stator frame in a running three phase field-oriented controlled induction machine. A literature search shows that none of research has been carried out to …

Making A Case For Equity Planning In Transportation Development: Identifying Indicators And Building A Framework For Hillsborough County, Fl, Dayna J. Lazarus

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The idea that planners should work toward an equitable society has been part of the profession since the 1960s, largely based on the work of planning theorists like Paul Davidoff, Sherry Arnstein and Norman Krumholz. Transportation planning, however, has been slower than other sectors of the profession, such as housing, to embrace equity planning concepts. That has begun to change as concerns about income inequality, environmental justice and climate change have become more salient. This thesis makes the case that in order to improve social equity outcomes, transportation planners must make social equity an explicit goal and add social equity …

Population Demographics Of Golden Tilefish Lopholatilus Chamaeleonticeps In The Gulf Of Mexico, Greta J. Helmueller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill had catastrophic impacts on aquatic organisms in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Longline gear was used to sample demersal fish species at 344 locations distributed throughout the GoM in the seven years following DWH. Sampling was accomplished deploying 450-500 baited hooks per station in depths ranging from 20-600 m. Using data from these surveys, I analyzed the length and age frequency, condition, growth, and mortality rates of Golden Tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) throughout the GoM. Demersal habitat use and apparent high contaminant levels in Golden Tilefish makes them potentially vulnerable to oil spills such …

Investigating The Effects Of Motivational Interviewing Compared To Action Planning On Supporting The Emotional And Academic Success Of Ninth Grade Students In Advanced Placement Classes, Kai Zhuang Shum

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

High school students in accelerated curricula (i.e., Advanced Placement classes or pre-International Baccalaureate program) tend to report higher level of perceived stress compared to general education students due to additional academic demands that stemmed from accelerated courses (Suldo & Shaunessy-Dedrick, 2013). However, this group of students often receives limited if any targeted supports in schools because they tend to perform well academically (Suldo, O'Brennan, Storey, & Shaunessy-Dedrick, 2018). To address this gap in literature, this study investigated the efficacy of a targeted intervention in development to support academic and emotional success among students in accelerated curricula, namely the Motivation, Assessment, …

Character Strengths Of Ninth Grade Students In Accelerated Curricula: A Mixed-Methods Investigation, Hannah L. Gilfix

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Students in accelerated curricula tend to have greater stress when compared to students in general education (Suldo, Shaunessy, & Hardesty, 2008). It is important for stakeholders to be able to help these students reach their goals and attain happiness. One potential method to help these students is to attend to their character strengths. People who effectively utilize their character strengths have achieved numerous positive outcomes including greater levels of well-being, self-esteem, and positive affect (Proctor, Malby, & Linley, 2011; Quinlan, Swain, Cameron, & Vella-Brodrick, 2014; Wood, Linley, Maltby, Kashan, & Hurling, 2011). Unfortunately, there is a lack of research on …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Antecedent And Consequent Interventions To Enhance Sports Performance, Merritt Schenk

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sports research in behavior analysis is becoming increasingly popular. As the proliferation of research continues, multiple interventions have been shown to help enhance sports-related performance. However, different intervention components are rarely if ever used alone, which has created a limitation with the current body of research. To begin to address this limitation, this study had three experiments to evaluate some different components of video recording procedures and behavioral skills training (BST) to facilitate performance enhancement. Experiment 1 separated video modeling and video feedback to see which component best improved pitching form in Little League baseball players. Experiment 2 evaluated video …