Digital Commons Network^™

Developing Motion Platform Dynamics For Studying Biomechanical Responses During Exercise For Human Spaceflight Applications, Kaitlin Lostroscio

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In future human spaceflight missions, with prolonged exposure to microgravity, resistive and aerobic exercises will be countermeasures for bone loss, muscle loss, and decreased aerobic capacity. Two of the exercises of interest are squats and rowing. The cyclic forces produced during these exercises are at relatively low frequencies which are likely to excite structural resonances of space vehicles. Vibration Isolation Systems (VIS) are being designed to be paired with future exploration exercise devices in order to prevent these cyclic exercise forces from impacting the space vehicle. The VIS may be configured such that a platform supports the human and exercise …

Sublethal Effects Of Crude Oil And Chemical Dispersant On The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) At Multiple Life History Stages, Sara Marie Garcia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Oil spills in the marine environment can threaten vulnerable ecosystems that support ecologically and economically significant organisms, such as the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), in coastal habitats. The use of chemical dispersant (Corexit 9500) was applied as a cleanup effort in response to the Deepwater Horizon blowout to minimize crude oil slicks, but also resulted in increased concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the water column. The effects of increased soluble fractions of crude oil and dispersant components may be harmful to marine organisms. This study aimed to investigate possible sublethal impacts to the eastern oyster at multiple life history …

Combining Thermo-Plasmonics With Microfluidics For Biological Applications, Sharad Ambardar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this project we, for the first time, integrated microfluidics with thermo-plasmonics. While microfluidics is a popular platform allowing experiments with small volumes of fluid, thermo-plasmonics can be used for powerful particle manipulation including capturing, mixing, filtering and projection. Combined, these two techniques give us an opportunity to work with numerous complex fluids containing particles, cells, and micro-beads. Here we designed, developed and tested several devices demonstrating various aspects of this exciting hybrid technology. This required use of soft lithography, metal deposition, 3D printing, oxygen plasma treatment and several other surface modification techniques. Additional challenges were in the fabrication of …

The Promised Body: Diet Culture, The Fat Subject, And Ambivalence As Resistance, Jennifer Dolan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since the turn of the twentieth century, middle-class Americans have considered the thin body--ostensibly the result of self-control and self-discipline--a moral imperative and a symbol of good citizenship. In this thesis, I provide a critical perspective on fat studies by examining the ways in which the field authorizes itself in a society that deems the fat body unhealthy, costly, and immoral. As one potential solution to fat-hatred, fat studies proposes fat-positivity, but I argue that fat-positivity requires an extraordinary act of imagination in which the fat person overcomes what I term the ideology of thinness and subsequently feels good about …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Institutional Financial Resources And Global Ranking, Matthew S. Anderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Global rankings are a popular way for governments, HEI’s, faculty, staff, and students to compare institutions worldwide, therefore it is important to rank well. However, in order to have top-quality research and education programs, HEI’s need to have significant financial resources. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between an institution’s financial resources and its global ranking. The results of this study provide additional insight and a better understanding of global rankings and the nature of the relationship between various financial resources and global rankings.

This was a quantitative study that used ranking data from the Academic …

Flames And Frogs – The Impact Of Environmental Disturbances On Host-Parasite Dynamics, Nicole Ortega

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The successful completion of this work is dedicated first to my grandparents for having always shown their unwavering love and encouragement in my journeys (most of which they kindly and politely only pretended to understand) and for having also served as life-long role models who upheld an unparalleled work ethic. To many whom I consider to be my chosen family, especially Ann Williams and Brittany Sears, who kept me laughing, but more importantly, kept my crazy train from derailing during these tumultuous years. To Wayne Price and Tom Jackman, who fostered the success of my career and are the epitome …

Design And Implementation Of A Ferrocement Improved Cookstove In Rural Panama, Josh Donegan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Household air pollution contributes to the premature death of more than 4 million people annually. Improved cookstoves are one technological intervention that can potentially reduce exposure to household air pollution. However, improved cookstove implementation programs need to consider measures to increase sustainability and promote long-term adoption. The objectives of this research were 1) to develop and implement a new ferrocement cookstove for Peña Blanca, a rural indigenous community in the Ngäbe-Bugle region of Panama, 2) to evaluate its potential sustainability in comparison to the most common cooking technologies observed in the community, 3) to prepare a construction manual for the …

Effectiveness Of Biocide Substitution And Management Plan Implementation For The Control Of, Adelmarie Bones

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

After the notorious outbreak and discovery of Legionella bacteria in 1976, the waterborne pathogen was added to the list of disease-causing agents associated with the built environment. Legionella pneumophila was discovered when it was identified as the agent that caused 34 deaths and an outbreak of pneumonia-like symptoms in several attendees of the 1976 American Legion Convention held in Philadelphia (OSHA, 2017).

Recently published data from the year 2015 reported more than 6,000 Legionnaires’ cases identified in the United States (CDC, 2016). This is a concerning number given that one in every ten infected persons will die of the disease. …

Angiostrongylus Cantonensis: Epidemiologic Review, Location-Specific Habitat Modelling, And Surveillance In Hillsborough County, Florida, U.S.A., Brad Christian Perich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a parasitic nematode endemic to tropical and subtropical regions and is the leading cause of human eosinophilic meningitis. The parasite is commonly known as rat lungworm because the primary host in its lifecycle is the rat. A clinical overview of rat lungworm infection is presented, followed by a literature review of rat lungworm epidemiology, risk factors, and surveillance projects. Data collected from previous snail surveys in Florida was considered alongside elevation, population per square kilometer, median household income by zip code territory, and normalized difference vegetation index specific to the geographic coordinates from which the snail samples …

Strategies To Adjust For Response Bias In Clinical Trials: A Simulation Study, Victoria R. Swaidan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Response bias can distort treatment effect estimates and inferences in clinical trials. Although prevention, quantification, and adjustments have been developed, current methods are not applicable when subject-level reliability is used as the measure of response bias. Thus, the objective of the current study is to develop, test, and recommend a series of bias correction strategies for use in these cases. Methods: Monte Carlo simulation and logistic regression modeling were used to develop the strategies, examining the collective impact of sample size (N), effect size (ES), reliability distribution, and response style on estimating the treatment effect size in a series …

Prevention Of Post Intensive Care Syndrome-Family With Sensation Awareness Focused Training Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Trial Pilot Study, Paula L. Cairns

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Post Intensive Care Syndrome-Family (PICS-F) refers to acute and chronic psychological effects of critical illness on family members of patients in intensive care units (ICU). Evidence about the increase and persistence of PICS-F warrants the need for prevention interventions. This study evaluated the feasibility of providing Sensation Awareness Focused Training (SĀF-T) during the ICU stay for spouses of mechanically ventilated patients. Methods: A randomized controlled trial of SĀF-T versus a control group was conducted (n=10) to assess safety, acceptability, feasibility, and effect size of the intervention on PICS-F symptoms. Symptoms assessed as outcome measures included stress, anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress …

An Examination Of Factors That Affect The Utilization Of Mental Health Services By Adolescents, Nichole A. Murray

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mental disorders among adolescents are on the rise and are among the most common chronic conditions, constituting a national epidemic. Prevalence rates indicate that 20–40% of the adolescent population in the U.S. suffers from emotional or behavioral difficulties significant enough to lead to functional impairment. Further, estimates suggest that more than 20% of the adolescent population has a diagnosable mental disorder, which significantly impacts their functioning substantially at school, at home and in their communities. Despite national agendas to address the mental health needs of adolescents, studies suggest that approximately 50 percent of adolescents with mental health needs do not …

Novel Role Of Histone Deacetylase 11 (Hdac11) In Regulating Normal And Malignant Hematopoiesis, Jie Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During hematopoiesis, multilineage progenitor cells and the precursors are committed to individual hematopoietic lineages. In normal myelopoiesis, the immature myeloid cells (IMCs) differentiate into macrophages, neutrophils or dendritic cells. However, under tumor burden, these IMCs differentiate into myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) result in an up-regulation of immune suppressive factors and pro-tumor effect. The development of normal or malignant is tightly controlled by endogenous signals such as transcription factors and epigenetic regulations. HDAC11 is the newest identified members of the histone deacetylase (HDAC) family. Previous study in our group had identified HDAC11 as a negative regulator of interleukin 10 (IL-10) …

Characterization Of The Transcriptional Elongation Factor Ell3 In B Cells And Its Role In B-Cell Lymphoma Proliferation And Survival, Lou-Ella M.M. Alexander

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The studies presented in this dissertation establish the dynamics of Eleven nineteen Lysine-rich leukemia (ELL) family of elongation factors during B cell differentiation and provide a description of ELL3 function in B cells.

The transition from a mature naïve B cells into an activated B cell is dependent on a large increase in transcriptional output, which is followed by focused expression on secreted immunoglobulin upon terminal differentiation into plasma cell. While ELL family members have previously been implicated in alternative splicing at the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus in plasma cells, their presence and function prior to differentiation is currently not …

Becoming Legitimate: How Pmscs Are Seeking Legitimacy In The International System, Sommer Mitchell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of private military and security companies (PMSC) by state governments has raised many questions regarding the role of the private security industry (PSI) in conflict. This use of PMSCs by states has resulted in much debate in the public and academic spheres (Avant 2005, Dunigan 2011, Kinsey 2006, Leander 2005, Singer 2008). The PSI and PMSCs are altering the international system of norms and redefining what it means to be secure and make war. States are no longer the only entity in the international system with security needs. Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and multinational corporations (MNCs) …

Perceptions Of Arab American Mothers Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Exploratory Study, Haifa Alsayyari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A gap exists in the literature regarding the needs, concerns, and overall experiences of Arab American parents of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (Al Khatib, 2017; Goforth, 2011; Haboush, 2007). This study explored the experiences of five Arab American mothers of children with ASD. A qualitative interview approach, utilizing in-depth interviews, was used in order to investigate Arab American parents’ experiences of caring for children with ASD, their cultural beliefs and understandings of their children’s ASD, and their concerns and needs regarding their children. Six themes emerged from the interview data, which offered insight into Arab American parents’ …

Perceptual And Physiologic Analysis Of Dystussia In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Stephanie Anne Watts

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Swallowing and cough are two vital functions that are reflexive in nature and are related to each other in terms of shared neural and anatomical space. When a disorder impacts normal and effective swallowing and/or cough, the consequences can be life-threatening. Evaluation and treatment of swallowing and cough disorders can fall under the scope of practice of the speech-language pathologist and speech-language pathologists often are leading professionals. Furthermore, much of the current research on swallowing and cough is spearheaded by speech-language pathologists often working with a multi-disciplinary team. The focus of this dissertation is on the clinical evaluation of cough …

Astaxanthin Attenuates Mptp Induced Neurotoxicity And Modulates Cognitive Function In Aged Mice, Beth Grimmig

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parkinson’s disease is the second common neurodegenerative disease and is most frequently diagnosed in individuals over 60. There are no available medications that can prevent or restore the loss of neurons that correspond to motor impairments in patients. Identifying novel therapeutic compounds that are capable of slowing and reversing the extensive neurodegeneration that occurs in PD remains an important goal of the field. While basic research has identified potential therapeutic agents, studies often use young model organisms to demonstrate efficacy of the target compound. This approach ignores the impact of the aged CNS on the disease process, and likely contributes …

“I Use To Pray And Ask God To Give Me Another Chance”: A Phenomenological Analysis Of Black Males’ Journey Attending An Alternative School, Jimmy R. Caldwell Jr

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that there still exists a disproportionate number of Black males who have contact with juvenile justice systems across this nation (Nance, 2016). The disproportionate placement of students of color, specifically, Black American males in alternative schools, serves as the gateway to the school-to-prison-pipeline (Pelzer, 2012). This study examined the lived educational experiences of two Black American juvenile males, who enrolled in an alternative school in the Southeast. This study incorporated phenomenological and narrative methods and provides rich, descriptive analyses of the participants’ experiences while attending an alternative school. Findings from this study revealed instability among the participants’ home …

A High Accuracy Microwave Radiometric Thermometer To Measure Internal Body Temperature, Michael D. Grady

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released heat illness data which highlighted that ~29 heat stress hospitalizations and ~3 heat-related deaths occurred every day during the summer months within the US from years 2000 to 2014. Heatstroke- the most severe form of heat illness which oftentimes lead to death- has been cited to be entirely preventable if a timely intervention is introduced. This dissertation uses microwave radiometric thermometry to perform wireless non-invasive internal body temperature monitoring which can enable intervention methods that help to prevent deaths associated with heat-illness.

Overall, this dissertation develops a comprehensive closed-form analytical radiometric …

A Discourse Analysis Of Nursing Handoffs: Exploring Nurse-To-Nurse Interactions In Two Hospitals In Saudi Arabia, Abeer Mohammad

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A new realm of discourse research has started examining medical interactions in the crowded space – hospitals (Iedema, 2007). Beyond clinical settings and dyadic doctor-patient interactions, scholars have begun investigating doctors’ interactions in various hospital settings including Emergency Rooms and hospitals’ wards (e.g., Eggins & Slade, 2012; Slade & Eggins, 2016; Slade et al., 2015). Other investigations have expanded this scope of discourse research to include other health professionals, such as nurses (e.g., Staples, 2015). Drawing on discourse analytic approaches (Critical Discourse Analysis, Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar, and Interactional Sociolinguistics), this study examined nurse-to-nurse handoff interactions in two hospitals in …

Spatial-Temporal Distribution Of Mosquito Larval Hot Spots In Papoli, Uganda: A Community-Based Approach To Mosquito Control, Ryan E. Tokarz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mosquito species of the Anopheles gambaie complex are the predominant vectors of malaria transmission throughout sub-Saharan Africa. These mosquitoes tend to be endophilic, as well as anthropophilic, making them prime candidates for disease transmission. Within the same region, related mosquito vectors play a significant role in the transmission of additional human and zoonotic diseases. Furthermore, mosquito nuisance biting is an immense issue that cannot be ignored in terms of its impact on African communities. Depending on the respective factors involved, mosquito control programs throughout the continent have attempted to tackle these issues in a multitude of ways. This research approached …

Context-Based Human Activity Recognition Using Multimodal Wearable Sensors, Pratool Bharti

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the past decade, Human Activity Recognition (HAR) has been an important part of the regular day to day life of many people. Activity recognition has wide applications in the field of health care, remote monitoring of elders, sports, biometric authentication, e-commerce and more. Each HAR application needs a unique approach to provide solutions driven by the context of the problem. In this dissertation, we are primarily discussing two application of HAR in different contexts. First, we design a novel approach for in-home, fine-grained activity recognition using multimodal wearable sensors on multiple body positions, along with very small Bluetooth beacons …

Sleep And Alzheimer’S Disease: A Critical Examination Of The Risk That Sleep Problems Or Disorders Particularly Obstructive Sleep Apnea Pose Towards Developing Alzheimer’S Disease, Omonigho A. Michael Bubu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a critical examination of the relationship between sleep problems and/or disorders, particularly Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Alzheimer Disease (AD). First, I conducted an exhaustive systematic review of existing literature, and identified gaps in research that led to specific research aims. For the first aim, I conducted the first ever-published meta-analysis examining sleep, cognitive decline and AD, providing an aggregate effect of sleep on AD. Second, focusing on OSA, I conducted a study examining OSA’s effect on longitudinal changes on AD biomarkers in cognitive normal, MCI and AD subjects, using data from the Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative …

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Of Targeted Herpes Zoster Vaccination In Adults 50-59 At Increased Cardiovascular Risk, Kathleen M. Glassner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Over the last twenty years the incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) infection, also known as shingles, has been increasing among adults for unknown reasons. The economic burden of HZ is currently estimated at over $1 billion per year in the United States (U.S.) and is expected to increase as the susceptible adult population ages. HZ is caused by a re-activation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV), chicken pox, and more than 95% of adults living today carry the virus with a lifetime risk of 1 in 3 for developing HZ. In 2006 the FDA approved a vaccine for the …

The Spirit Of Friendship: Girlfriends In Contemporary African American Literature, Tangela La'chelle Serls

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Spirit of Friendship: Girlfriends in Contemporary African American Literature examines spiritual subjectivities that inspire girlfriends in three contemporary novels to journey towards actualization. It examines the girlfriend bond as a space where the Divine Spirit can flourish and assist girlfriends as they seek to become actualized. This project raises epistemological questions as it suggests that within the girlfriend dynamic, knowledge that is traditionally subjugated is formed and refined. Finally, girlfriend epistemology is considered in light of Black Girl Magic, a contemporary social and cultural movement among Black women.

Understanding The Linkages Between Urban Transportation Design And Population Exposure To Traffic-Related Air Pollution: Application Of An Integrated Transportation And Air Pollution Modeling Framework To Tampa, Fl, Sashikanth Gurram

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rapid and unplanned urbanization has ushered in a variety of public health challenges, including exposure to traffic pollution and greater dependence on automobiles. Moreover, vulnerable population groups often bear the brunt of negative outcomes and are subject to disproportionate exposure and health effects. This makes it imperative for urban transportation engineers, land use planners, and public health professionals to work synergistically to understand both the relationship between urban design and population exposure to traffic pollution, and its social distribution. Researchers have started to pay close attention to this connection, mainly by conducting observational studies on the relationship between transportation, urban …

The Performance Of Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling (Msem) In Comparison To Multilevel Modeling (Mlm) In Multilevel Mediation Analysis With Non-Normal Data, Thanh Vinh Pham

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The mediation analysis has been used to test if the effect of one variable on another variable is mediated by the third variable. The mediation analysis answers a question of how a predictor influences an outcome variable. Such information helps to gain understanding of mechanism underlying the variation of the outcome. When the mediation analysis is conducted on hierarchical data, the structure of data needs to be taken into account. Krull and MacKinnon (1999) recommended using Multilevel Modeling (MLM) with nested data and showed that the MLM approach has more power and flexibility over the standard Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) …

Role Of Heat Shock Transcription Factor 1 In Ovarian Cancer Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition And Drug Sensitivity, Chase David Powell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The heat shock response (HSR) is a robust cellular reaction to mitigate protein damage from heat and other challenges to the proteome. This protective molecular program in humans is controlled by heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1). Activation of HSF1 leads to the induction of an array of cytoprotective genes, many of which code for chaperones. These chaperones, known as heat shock proteins (HSPs), are responsible for maintaining the functional integrity of the proteome. HSPs achieve this by promoting proper folding and assembly of nascent proteins, refolding denatured proteins, and processing for degradation proteins and aggregates which cannot be returned …

Music Ensemble Participation: Personality Traits And Music Experience, Tracy A. Torrance

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The personality of musicians, artists, and other creative persons is of considerable interest to researchers and educators who seek to identify traits associated with musical behaviors. Personality traits can influence music behaviors such as instrument choice, ensemble choice, practice habits, and musical experience, which may contribute to continued music participation. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between personality type, music ensemble section, instrument choice (vocal or instrumental), and musical experience in college students and individuals who choose to continue participation after college. Few studies have concentrated on personality characteristics of ensemble members at the collegiate level …