Digital Commons Network^™

Examining Forty Years Of The Social Organization Of Feminisms: Ethnography Of Two Women’S Bookstores In The Us South, Mary Catherine Whitlock

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

At the height of their popularity in the 1990s, there were 140 feminist bookstores in the US and Canada (Onosaka 2006). Today, in 2017, there are thirteen left. Feminist bookstores began opening in the 1970s promoting ideas about lesbian separatism, woman only spaces, and nurturing a feminist community. Although many functioned as for-profit stores, many also operated community centers and non-profit organizations. Feminist bookstores provide an excellent site for scholars view decades of social movement organizing merging theory, practice, activism, and academics. As a social movement organization, feminist bookstores as are the quintessential node of academia and activism. Of the …

The Effect Of Androstenone As A Mating Prime On Drinking And Approach Behavior, Robin Tan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent research has shown that sexual activity may be influenced by variables suggested by evolutionary theory, such as pheromonal cues. A recent study in our laboratory indicated that female pheromones influence men’s drinking and approach behavior based on hidden pathways of behavioral influence caused by chemosensory signals. The current study sought to examine whether a link exists between male pheromones and women’s drinking and approach behavior, through the use of a possible male sex pheromone called androstenone, and sought to examine this link within the context of a women’s ovulation cycle. One hundred and three female participants were primed with …

How Teachers’ Beliefs About Climate Change Influence Their Instruction, Student Understanding, And Willingness To Take Action., Molly Trendell Nation

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Climate change science is complex and controversial in nature, yet seen by educators and policy makers as an important topic to be taught within secondary science education. This is becoming increasingly evident with the inclusion of climate change into the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for Earth and Space Sciences as well as Life Science courses (NGSS, 2013). An overwhelming amount of information is available to students; however, it is often misrepresented, politically inflated and falsified, and littered with misconceptions (Dawson & Carson, 2014; Gayford, 2002). It is critical to engage students in discourse that challenges them ethically in order …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Their Role As Mitigators For Youthful And Non-Youthful Offenders In Capital Sentencing Cases, Jessica R. Trapassi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their role as mitigators in capital sentencing is an important, yet relatively unexplored, topic in criminological literature. Using data from the North Carolina Capital Sentencing Project, this study explores the role of ACEs as mitigating factors for youthful and non-youthful capital offenders: whether youthful offenders are less likely to be sentenced to death, whether or not ACEs are effective as mitigating factors, and whether ACE mitigators are more effective for youthful or non-youthful offenders. Results show that youthful capital offenders are less likely to be sentenced to death than adult capital offenders, and while ACE …

Patterns In Words Related To Dna Rearrangements, Lukas Nabergall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Patterns, sequences of variables, have traditionally only been studied when morphic images of them appear as factors in words. In this thesis, we initiate a study of patterns in words that appear as subwords of words. We say that a pattern appears in a word if each pattern variable can be morphically mapped to a factor in the word. To gain insight into the complexity of, and similarities between, words, we define pattern indices and distances between two words relative a given set of patterns. The distance is defined as the minimum number of pattern insertions and/or removals that transform …

Age Of Alcohol Initiation And Reward Processes In A Current Alcohol Drinking Sample, Claire M. Gorey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Earlier ages of alcohol initiation have been associated with an increased vulnerability for Alcohol Use Disorder and general risk taking behaviors beyond genetic influence. Reward processes, including reward anticipation (pleasure before receiving alcohol/general reward), reward learning (how quickly one pairs a stimulus with alcohol/general reward), and reward consummation (pleasure when receiving alcohol/general reward), have been implicated as potential mechanisms accounting for this vulnerability. However, no careful bio-behavioral research has been conducted on the effect of age of alcohol initiation on general and alcohol-related reward processes. Using Event Related Potentials (ERPs), the current study addressed this gap in a sample of …

Structural Analysis Of Poloidal And Toroidal Plasmons And Fields Of Multilayer Nanorings, Kumar Vijay Garapati

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Multilayered metallo-dielectric nanoparticles are increasingly considered in various applications to control the spatial and temporal behavior of electromagnetic fields. In particular, the surface mode excitation by photons or electrons in metal nanorings finds significant applications because of the implied field distribution and electromagnetic energy confinement. However, most solid nanorings that are multilayered and/or embedded in a medium have non-simply connected geometry resulting in surface modes which are not linearly independent. That is, unlike particle plasmon eigenmodes in other geometries, the amplitudes of the eigenmodes of tori exhibit a distinct forward and backward coupling. We investigate the surface modes of such …

Investigating Students’ Basic Needs And Motivation In College Chemistry Courses With The Lens Of Self-Determination Theory, Yujuan Liu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

More graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathmetics (STEM) fields are needed to keep our nation’s preeminance in the global fields of technology and science. However, fewer than 40% of students who intend to major in STEM fields when entering college complete a STEM degree. Therefore, it is important to explore factors to improve student persistence in STEM fields at the college level as well as to understand the interrelationship between student motivation, academic achievement, and persistence. Motivation is strongly associated with student achievement and persistence; meanwhile, academic achievement can also affect persistence. Self-determination theory (SDT) represents a framework of …

Using Computer-Assisted Instruction To Decrease Transition Times For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Kristina A. Bewley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Transitions within the school setting have been a challenge for school staff working with students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Teachers and students lose valuable academic time when the procedures in place are not working to create a quick transition - decreasing problem behavior, and increasing learning time. Students with ASD typically have a difficult time transitioning frequently throughout a school day, and problem behavior can be more apparent during this time. Hine, Ardoin, and Foster (2015) found that a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) based intervention was successful in decreasing classroom transition times for students in general education. The purpose of …

Selection Of Memory Book Content: Agreement In Content As A Function Of Informant Relationship To Memory Book Recipient, Rebecca J. Allen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to determine to what extent provision of personally relevant information and sensory cues would agree between Recipient and Informant for selection of memory book content. Six dyads married to each other an average of 29.17 years (SD = 10.03), between the ages of 43 and 70 years (Mean = 57; SD = 8.39), and cognitively competent (i.e., no diagnosis of cognitive impairment) participated. Participants completed questionnaires independently and provided personally relevant information/memories, aversions towards select memories/topics, and sensory cues on behalf of themselves (as “Recipient) and their spouse (as “Informant”). For provision of personally relevant information/memories, …

Structural Racism: Racists Without Racism In Liberal Institutions Within Colorblind States, Alexis Nicole Mootoo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Afro-Descendants suffer sustained discrimination and invisibility that is proliferated with policies that were once blatantly racist, but are now furtive. This study argues that structural racism is alive and well in liberal institutions such as publicly funded colleges and universities. Thus, structural racism is subtly replicated and reproduced within these institutions and by institutional agents who are Racist without Racism. This study builds on theories from Pierre Bourdieu, Frantz Fanon, Glen Loury and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva. The juxtaposition of their theoretical arguments provides a deeper insight into how structural racism becomes a de facto reflexive phenomenon in liberal and progressive institutions …

Computational Analysis Of Protein Intrinsic Disorder In Human Diseases, Insung Na

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There are different conformational states of proteins characterized by different Gibbs free energy levels, manifested in folding-unfolding dynamics, for example. Recently, a set of protein states, which require relatively small amount of folding energies, emerged as subjects of intensive research, and proteins or regions characterized by the presence of these states have been termed as ‘Intrinsically Disordered Proteins’ (IDP) and ‘Intrinsically Disordered Protein Regions’ (IDPR), respectively. Predisposition for intrinsic disorder of a query protein is encoded in its amino acid sequence and composition, and can be rather accurately predicted using several intrinsic disorder algorithms. Since pathology of many human diseases …

Pain And Physical Function In A Socioeconomically Diverse Sample Of Black And White Adults, Angela Sardina

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Musculoskeletal pain alters physiological function and these changes may be evidenced as early as middle age. Previous research has concluded that middle-aged adults are a high-risk group for chronic pain and report functional limitations similar to older adults. However, few studies have explored the unique individual factors (e.g., sociodemographic, health, and psychosocial characteristics) that may drive the pain experience; and more research is needed that examines the relationships between musculoskeletal pain and physical function, using objective performance measures, in a sample of racially and socioeconomically diverse adults.

Data from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span …

Characterization Of Surface Charges And Compensating Charges For Gene Delivery To Tissue, Ravi Shanmugha Preethi Vangapattu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ever since the discovery of DNA, there has been many pathologies identified effecting mankind. With the development in technology, there are many methods to alleviate these pathologies. One such is gene therapy or gene delivery. It is a process of introducing some foreign material into the body to correct the effected cells. In principle, it is a modern method to cure cells or a method to transfer nucleic acid into a cell to treat specific cells in the body. The process of delivering a genetic material is carried out using vectors, namely, viral vectors and non-viral vectors. In viral vectors, …

Morphometric Analysis Of The Talus On The Cohort Of Healthy And Arthritic Patient Population:, Tia Arvaneh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) is less common in the ankle compared to other joints; however, deformation brought on by degeneration causes pain, loss of function, and overall decreased quality of life. Current surgical interventions for end-stage ankle OA are not as reliable as surgical treatments for other joints. Ankle arthroplasty currently has high failure rates, and there are lack of substantial data from long-term outcome studies. By understanding the morphometric changes that occur during the different stages of OA, we are able to identify early signs of the disease with the intention to apply treatment earlier in order to preclude …

Spatial And Temporal Variation In Mangrove Distribution (1950-2014) In Tampa, Florida Usa, Carolyn Cheatham Rhodes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I carried out an observational study of historic high resolution aerial imagery spanning six decades (1950-2014) to identify recent and historic spatial extent of mangrove forests, within the municipal boundaries of the City of Tampa, Florida USA. My objectives were to map mangrove distribution and spatial extent and any change or patterns of change discernable. I observed variable patterns of change and rates of expansion varied between sites spatially as well as within sites between time intervals. I found notable changes in mangrove extent in the Tampa from historic and modern aerial imagery for the ~64-year period between 1950 and …

Time Series Online Empirical Bayesian Kernel Density Segmentation: Applications In Real Time Activity Recognition Using Smartphone Accelerometer, Shuang Na

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Time series analysis has been explored by the researchers in many areas such, as statistical research, engineering applications, medical analysis, and finance study. To represent the data more efficiently, the mining process is supported by time series segmentation. Time series segmentation algorithm looks for the change points between two different patterns and develops a suitable model, depending on the data observed in such segment. Based on the issue of limited computing and storage capability, it is necessary to consider an adaptive and incremental online segmentation method. In this study, we propose an Online Empirical Bayesian Kernel Segmentation (OBKS), which combines …

Toward The Synthesis Of Naphthalene-Bridged Bis-Triazole Bimetallic Complexes, Sean M. Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bimetallic complexes are known to have unique electronic properties and are used in a variety of organic transformations as catalysts. The use of naphthalene-bridged bis- triazoles (NBT) for bimetallic complexes is unknown. NBTs have the unique property of being fluorescent stemming from a twisted intramolecular charge transfer. With the non- coplanar geometry and the distance between the 1,2,3-triazole rings, we hypothesized that 1,8-bis(4-phenyl-2H-1,2,3-triazol-2-yl)naphthalene (12) would be a suitable ligand to synthesize a bimetallic complex. The synthesis of 12 was optimized for large scale synthesis and was synthesized on a 78 mmol scale in 15% total yield. Metal complexation …

Assessment And Modeling Of Three Decentralized Resource Recovery Systems In The Cayes Of The Belize Barrier Reef, Mark D. Kalivoda

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Three wastewater treatment systems (WWTS) situated on Cayes in the Belize Barrier Reef System were assessed in terms of the unique public health and environmental circumstances of being a tourist destination surrounded by fragile coral reef. Laughing Bird Caye, Silk Caye, and Little Water Caye are three small cayes that are the staging points for local diving, fishing, and other recreational tourism. All three systems are based upon pour-flush toilets, semi-anaerobic biodigesters and drainage fields. Limitations in cost, available resources, useable area, high infiltration rates of the sand, and salinity of the water have played a major factor in the …

Carbon And Nutrient Balances In Microalgal Bioenergy System, Eunyoung Lee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated life cycle environmental impacts and benefits of an integrated microalgae system with wastewater treatment system using an integrated process modeling approach combined with experimentation. The overall goal of this research is to understand energy, carbon and nutrient balances in the integrated system and to evaluate the environmental impacts and benefits of the integrated system from a carbon, nutrient, and energy perspective. In this study, four major research tasks were designed to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the environmental and economic sustainability of the integrated system, which included development of an integrated co-limitation kinetic model for microalgae …

An Assessment Of Constructed Wetland Treatment System Cells: Removal Of Excess Nutrients And Pollutants From Municipal Wastewater In Lakeland, Florida, Molly Klinepeter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Wastewater treatment wetlands are proven valuable alternatives to the treatment of wastewater in a more natural environment. These wetlands can be natural or constructed, and come in a variety of types and sizes. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficiency of water treatment for nutrients and pollutants utilized by the City of Lakeland in treating their municipal wastewater by wetland treatment system cells. This study is important in order to ensure the successful use of the wetland, as well as to determine the impacts previous phosphorus mining use may have on the effectiveness of treatment. Following FDEP …

Pollen Forecasting In Sarasota, Florida, Daniel J. Gessman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current predictions of pollen levels rely strictly on historical Averages, regardless of environmental factors that might affect the timing of pollen release by different plants. For this thesis, the goal was to develop a statistical model that will accurately forecast pollen levels by correlating those daily counts to atmospheric and meteorological conditions. This project used ARIMA modeling on IBM’s SPSS Statistics 24 of daily pollen count information for multiple allergenic pollens in the Sarasota County, Florida area over a 11-year period. The pollen species in question for this project are oak and cypress trees, grass, and ragweed pollens; and Alternaria …

A Study Of Rf/Microwave Components Using Fused Deposition Modeling And Micro-Dispensing, Joshua A. Stephenson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The design and study of multiple RF direct digital manufactured (DDM) devices are presented in this work. A 2.45 GHz, 180°; hybrid coupler is designed to provide the space required for other system components. The coupler is designed and manufactured on a 32 mil Rogers 4003C substrate and adapted to a 100% in-fill acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) substrate. A size reduction of 66% is accomplished with a bandwidth of 16%. A DDM Ku band connector is modeled and fabricated using varying relative dielectric constants of 50% and 100% in-fill ABS. The connector maintains less than 0.45 dB of insertion loss …

Sex After Gray Hair? Association Between Sexual Activity, Hugging, And Health Among Older Adults?, Chantelle Sharpe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research on sexual behavior in late life is limited but is growing. Despite ageist stereotypes associating old age with asexuality, older adults continue to desire and engage in sexual behavior. Previous studies have examined the relationship between health and the ability to engage in sexual behavior, sexual satisfaction, desire, or interest in sex. Research has yet to examine the potential reverse of this relationship, where sexual behavior may serve as a protective factor against health outcomes.

This dissertation examined three research questions to test the relationship between sexual activity or hugging and self-reported health outcomes (e.g., arthritis and diabetes) and …

Ability Of Physiological Strain Index To Discriminate Between Sustainable And Unsustainable Heat Stress, Dwayne Wilson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Assessment of heat strain is an alternative approach to assessing heat stress exposures. Two common measures of heat strain are body core temperature (T_C) and heart rate (HR). In this study TC was assessed by rectal temperature (T_re). Physiological Strain Index (PSI) was developed to combine both T_re and HR into one metric. Data collected from progressive heat stress trials were used to (1) demonstrate that PSI can distinguish between Sustainable and Unsustainable heat stress; (2) suggest values for PSI that demonstrate a sustainable level of heat stress; and (3) determine if clothing or …

Analysis Of A Potential A(H7n9) Influenza Pandemic Outbreak In The U.S., Walter A. Silva Sotillo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a collection of manuscripts that describe development of models and model implementation to analyze impact of potential A(H7N9) pandemic influenza outbreak in the U.S. Though this virus is still only animal-to-human transmittable, it has potential to become human-to-human transmittable and trigger a pandemic. This work is motivated by the negative impact on human lives that this virus has already caused in China, and is intended to support public health officials in preparing to protect U.S. population from a potential outbreak of pandemic scale.

An agent-based (AB) simulation model is used to replicate the social dynamics of the …

Exploring Nutritional Needs, Roles, And Expectations Of Latina Breast Cancer Survivors, Pamela Carolina Birriel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Latina breast cancer survivors, especially those who have undergone chemotherapy, may face major disruptions to their diet and eating habits; and a major concern is their ability to function in daily life roles throughout survivorship. Food and nutrition are suggested to be significant factors that can influence the process of cancer development, yet little research has been done to understand the nutritional needs, roles, and expectations among Latina breast cancer survivors. The purpose of this study was to understand Latina breast cancer survivors’ perceptions of the role of diet and nutrition in helping them cope with the effect of chemotherapy …

Machine Learning And Adaptive Signal Processing Methods For Electrocardiography Applications, Calvin A. Perumalla

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is directed towards improving the state of art cardiac monitoring methods and automatic diagnosis of cardiac anomalies through modern engineering approaches such as adaptive signal processing, and machine learning methods. The dissertation will describe the invention and associated methods of a cardiac rhythm monitor dubbed the Integrated Vectorcardiogram (iVCG). In addition, novel machine learning approaches are discussed to improve diagnoses and prediction accuracy of cardiac diseases.

It is estimated that around 17 million people in the world die from cardiac related events each year. It has also been shown that many of such deaths can be …

Epigenetic Response To Challenging Environmental Conditions, Marta Robertson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The discovery of epigenetic mechanisms has ignited speculation into their role in ecological and evolutionary processes. In particular, the contribution of epigenetic variation to adaptation or phenotypic plasticity that is distinct from genetic variation would be an important addition to existing evolutionary mechanisms. Although the research of epigenetic mechanisms from an ecological and evolutionary (or eco-evolutionary) perspective has been growing, it is still unclear how epigenetic variation might function in natural populations and settings and to what extent it might serve to mediate population response to changing environmental conditions over time. Over the course of my dissertation, I explored the …

An Anatomical Study Of The Hyperpallium Densocellulare In The Pigeon (Columba Livia), Sara Leilani Kellogg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The hyperpallium densocellulare (HD) is an avian cerebral structure, the origin of which remains unclear and considered to be critical to the understanding of the non-mammalian forebrain evolution. The main goal of this investigation was to clarify the anatomical characteristics and behavioral implications of HD, which had been assumed to be a homogeneous unitary entity. This project had three specific aims: 1) To identify possible subdivisions of HD in terms of cytoarchitecture, Substance P distribution, and connections based on unpublished (Aim 1a) as well as published data (Aim 1b); 2) To identify the unknown connections of these subdivisions by using …