Digital Commons Network^™

Video Anomaly Detection: Practical Challenges For Learning Algorithms, Keval Doshi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anomaly detection in surveillance videos is attracting an increasing amount of attention. Despite the competitive performance of several existing methods, they lack theoretical performance analysis, particularly due to the complex deep neural network architectures used in decision making. Additionally, real-time decision making is an important but mostly neglected factor in this domain. Much of the existing methods that claim to be online, depend on batch or offline processing in practice. Furthermore, several critical tasks such as continual learning, model interpretability and cross-domain adaptability are completely neglected in existing works. Motivated by these research gaps, in this dissertation we discuss our …

Metabolomic Analysis, Identification And Antimicrobial Assay Of Two Mangrove Endophytes, Stephen Thompson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Natural products have played major roles in drug discovery and provided sources for many new drugs. Secondary metabolites, also called natural products, are organic compounds that are produced from fungi, bacteria, and other living organisms. Secondary metabolites produced by endophytic fungi include alkaloids, phenols, peptides, enzymes, polyketides, and terpenes. Endophytic fungi are rich sources of secondary metabolites and demonstrate bioactivity against many human pathogens including the ESKAPE pathogens. This thesis explores the diverse roles of endophytic fungi and their production of unique secondary metabolites for potential drug discovery and development. Secondary metabolites from two endophytic fungi (EG10-21E-2-HDAC & TAP14-34A-2-HDAC), collected …

The Maternal Oral Microbiome Throughout Pregnancy, Rebecca Koerner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to longitudinally examine the salivary microbiome during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and explore its associations amongst adverse pregnancy outcomes (preterm birth, gestational diabetes mellitus, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy), perceived stress and depression, and hair/salivary cortisol levels. The specific aims were to (1) explore the literature for studies longitudinally examining the oral microbiome during pregnancy using a scoping review guided by the Arskey and O’Malley framework; (2) to examine the salivary microbiome for changes in diversity and abundance during the second and third trimesters during pregnancy and its association with adverse …

Synthesis And Antibacterial Testing Of Novel Thiosulfonate Compounds, Lindsay I. Blume

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) are increasing concerns in the medical community. In addition to the threat of Staphylococcus aureus, the increase in number and severity of infections caused by other antibiotic-resistant bacteria is problematic to human health, particularly among the ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter). The antibiotics like the penicillins and cephalosporins used commonly to treat MRSA, VRSA, and ESKAPE pathogens have continued to decline in the effectiveness. Our laboratory has developed a number of new families of anti-MRSA and anti-VRSA antibacterial compounds. In this thesis, …

Testing The Effects Of Social Exclusion On Emotional Arousal: An Examination Of The Effects Of Psychological Pain And Rumination, Amanda L. Peterson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The examination of social exclusion and its impact on future emotional responding may prove to be a fruitful area of research in the prevention of suicide. Additionally, there may be other factors (such as the experience of psychological pain and rumination) that may influence how one responds to social exclusion. However, little research has explored individual differences in reactions to social exclusion. As such, the present study explored how social exclusion influences emotional responding to other environmental stimuli, as well as examining how a history of psychological pain and rumination affected how one responds to social exclusion. 503 undergraduate students …

Integration Of Sustainability Into Higher Education Policies: A Case Study Of The University Of South Florida, Mehmet Z. Apaydin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sustainability and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are not new notions for higher education institutions (HEIs). However, well-organized efforts to make campuses "sustainable" are not common, and the efforts are modest compared to the institutional capabilities. This thesis, a case study of the University of South Florida (USF), was designed to explore how sustainability values and SDGs are incorporated into higher education policies. To accomplish this, the study employed a mixed method design that includes a literature review, an overview of policies and implementations, document content analysis, a program and course inventory, a keyword analysis, and semi-structured interviews. …

Mental Health And The Effects Of Stress And Violence On Migrant Farmworker Communities During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Russell Rice Manzano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Immigrants encounter numerous vulnerabilities during the migration process and after arrival due to stressors and violence that they may experience. Many also face dangerous labor conditions, discrimination, violence, and aggressive immigration tactics in the United States. The prolonged exposure to these stressors can create suffering for these vulnerable populations, continuing to exacerbate existing inequalities.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, immigrants have also faced new challenges that often perpetuate inequities that already existed in society. Immigrants often suffer from inadequate access to healthcare, marginalization due to legal status, and fear, which was worsened during the height of …

The Multidimensional Test Anxiety Scale: A Latent Profile Analysis And An Examination Of Measurement Invariance, Gabrielle Francis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Standardized testing is an integral part of the English and American education systems. The objectives of these tests are to evaluate students, teachers, and schools. However, this evaluation has unintended consequences, one of which is test anxiety. Over the last 50 years, there has been an increase in studies on test anxiety because of the widespread use of standardized tests (Hembree, 1988; von der Embse et al., 2019). However, two areas that have seen little attention are the measurement invariance of test anxiety scales across demographic groups, and the creation of classification standards for these test anxiety scales to increase …

Determinations Of Chemical Equilibria In Natural Waters Using Spectrophotometric Techniques, Katelyn M. Schockman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Accurate characterizations of chemical equilibria and thermodynamic processes in natural waters are key components for assessing the current state of our global climate and predicting future changes, especially for observations of small rates of change over long time scales. One of the most important chemical systems in natural waters is the system of inorganic carbon species comprised of carbon dioxide (CO2), bicarbonate, and carbonate. The bicarbonate dissociation constant, K2, describes the relationship between pH and the relative concentrations of bicarbonate and carbonate ions at thermodynamic equilibrium. The carbonate/bicarbonate equilibrium quotient is required in nearly all CO2 system calculations relevant to …

Alpha Synuclein: A Therapeutic Target And Biomarker For Parkinson’S Disease, Max Chase

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parkinson’s Disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s Disease, and the most common motor disorder. In fact, nearly a third of those with AD have PD. A major hallmark of PD is the appearance of Lewy Bodies, proteinaceous cytoplasm inclusions, that build up and spread throughout the CNS in a prion like fashion. The major component of these Lewy Bodies is a protein called alpha-synuclein. Alpha-syn is a 14kDa protein made of 140 amino acids and found in the presynaptic ends of CNS neurons, acting as a chaperone and regulator. The protein is also found in the …

Isotopic Study Of The Waters From The Sulphur Springs Catchment, Tampa, Florida, Esra Zengin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A stable isotope study was carried out using precipitation, spring water, groundwater well sample, and a seawater sample during the wet season in the Sulphur Springs watershed in Tampa, Florida. Studies that track long term isotopic variation over wet seasons are limited in the region. To fill this knowledge gap, this study aims to quantify the contributions of precipitation and diffuse sources to discharge in Sulphur Springs. A three-component mixing model was applied using δ18O and δ2H values to determine different source water contributions to spring water discharge. The three-component mixing model calculations suggest spring water consists mainly of diffuse …

Onsite Water Reuse: Fate Of Indicator Bacteria, Antibiotic Resistant Genes, Environmental Impacts, And User Perceptions, Michelle B. Henderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Changes in water use, climate, and urbanization have shifted how water resources are used and defined. Wastewater is increasingly regarded as a viable resource to address challenges in non-potable and potable water applications. When dealing with water reuse, water quality and quantity are of the utmost importance; and the final product must be suitable for its intended purpose and acceptable to users. The first portion of this research analyzed the performance and environmental impacts of pilot-scale Hybrid Adsorption Biological Treatment Systems (HABiTS) for onsite wastewater treatment and reuse. Various configurations were investigated to increase HABiTS performance and ability to produce …

An Investigation Into The Protein Dynamics And Proton Transfer Mechanism Of Class-A Β-Lactamase (Ctx-Ms) By Nmr Spectroscopy, Radwan Ebna Noor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) of different Enterobacteriaceae (e.g. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae) have developed significant resistance mechanisms against antibiotics. ESBLs, like class A CTX-Ms (cefotaximases) enzymes hydrolyze the β-lactam ring of different antibiotics such as penicillins and third-generation oxyimino-cephalosporins. Although CTX-Ms are repeatedly found in many clinical and community settings, molecular-level information on their function/activity is currently limited to structural studies performed by X-ray crystallography. In order to gain further insights into the structure and functions of this class of proteins, it is also essential to fully understand their dynamic and chemical properties in solution. In order to better understand the …

Measuring Sustainable Development Through Tax Increment Financed Brownfield Redevelopment Statutes: A Florida Case Study, Jeff Burton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research measures the theoretically sustainable development synergy of United States’ redevelopment, tax increment, and brownfield statutes and questions local redevelopment professionals on this combination’s implementation. This policy’s integration and application measurements guide increased knowledge and best practice methods in the path of America’s population migration into urbanized areas, thus managing the economic, environmental, and social impacts for future generations.

This examination used a pragmatic, qualitative, and quantitative mixed-method approach to identify, collect, code, and analyze redevelopment, tax increment, and state brownfields laws. An exhaustive literature review of the laws’ histories explained when and why they exist. In addition, a …

Desertification Risk Analysis For Wildlife In The Desert Renewable Energy Conversation Plan Area Of California, Serdar Sagdic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Desertification is one of the primary threats facing the sustainability of the Earths’s natural resources. Desertification it is an outcome of human impacts to ecosystems and alterations of climate patterns resulting in land degradation and adverse effect on natural resources, vegetation loss, soil infertility, and water scarcity. These changes influence the existence and distribution of wildlife by reducing the availability and quality of habitat that provides food, water, cover, and other life requisites. Therefore, this study aimed at evaluation of potential desertification risks on wildlife species in the Desert Renewable Energy and Conservation Plan (DRECP) area of California.

The DRECP …

Host-Pathogen Coevolution Between Tasmanian Devils (Sarcophilus Harrisii) And Devil Facial Tumor Disease, Dylan Garret Gallinson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coevolution is a driving force of rapid evolution, yet the complexity of coevolutionary interactions has made it difficult to characterize the genomic basis of traits mediating such relationships. Coevolutionary dynamics are especially important in host-pathogen systems where the host and pathogen must constantly adapt to one another. The Tasmanian devil and its species-specific transmissible cancer, devil facial tumor disease (DFTD), provide the rare opportunity to study host-pathogen coevolution in a complex natural system. Extensive spatiotemporal devil sampling, high linkage disequilibrium in devils, and a large selective pressure imposed by DFTD facilitate a system tractable for study. Here, we characterized devil …

Bioactivity Of Suberitenones A And B, Jared G. Waters

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Throughout human history, natural products have formed the foundation of medicine. In ancient times, a myriad of herbs and fungi have been attributed properties of healing and rejuvenation. Today, that foundation still very much exists, as natural product chemists isolate bioactive compounds from plants, fungi, animals, and microorganisms alike. As more of these secondary metabolites are discovered, scientists pursue more and more sources of biodiversity that may yield new and unprecedented compounds. To this end, Antarctica has become of particular note, as its unique environmental conditions and highly isolated nature make for rare and unusual adaptations in its native wildlife. …

Block Copolymer Directed Self-Assembly: Exploring The Efficacy Of Applications In Semiconductor Fabrication, Jakin Bryce Delony

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the course of the past 80 years, semiconductor devices have become increasingly ubiquitous in everyday life.From constructing mainframes that encompassed entire rooms during the 1940s, to inventing personal computers in the 1980s, to developing progressively faster smartphones and wearable technology in the 2010s, the primary driving force behind the Digital Revolution has been increasing transistor counts, and thus computing power, via incremental improvements in optical lithography. In 1965, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore boldly predicted that the transistor density of semiconductor devices would double approximately every 18-24 months. While this prediction -- now colloquially referred to as Moore's Law -- …

An Exploratory Study Of Technology Use By Older/Senior Men For Enrichment, Communication, And Social Connectedness, Emerson Campbell Hardy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

More older adults are moving toward options for digital connection; keeping up with and learning technology is challenging. Older adults’ perceptions of the difficulty of learning to use technology may contribute to their hesitancy to adopt technology options (Barnard, Bradley, Hodgson, & Lloyd, 2013). The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to explore the experiences of older/senior men learning and using technology for enrichment, communication, and social connectedness; and (2) to identify learning experiences and/or supports that aided these older/senior men in building knowledge, confidence, and comfort in technology use.

This was an exploratory qualitative study utilizing in-depth interviews. …

Applied Anthropology Of Addiction In Clinical Spaces: Co-Developing And Assessing A Novel Opioid Treatment Pathway, Heather Diane Henderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Historically, there has been no clear treatment pathway for opioid use disorder (OUD) patients who seek emergency care. Utilizing a trajectories of addiction framework, this dissertation presents insights from an applied anthropology of addiction study in an acute care setting to build a medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment pathway, aiming to break down the stigma related to opioid use disorder (OUD) and mitigate a lack of treatment options. This dissertation took place in an urban trauma center in Florida, from 2018 to 2021. With almost 1500 hours of participant observation, hundreds of informal interviews, and 30 formal interviews, …

Development And Initial Validation Of The Parent And Family Engagement In Higher Education Measure, Michelle R. Mcnulty

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the history of higher education in the United States, parents and family members of college students have often found themselves as obsolete to the postsecondary experience. Minimal research has been dedicated to understanding the experience of parents and family members of college students until the millennial generation began their collegiate years (Harper et al., 2012; Wartman & Savage, 2008). In consideration of a new generation of college students (i.e., Gen Z) and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic, it is crucial to illuminate the complexities of parent and family engagement in higher education and the needs of …

Empirical And Modeled Δ13c And Δ15n Isoscapes In The Gulf Of Mexico And Their Application To Fish Eye Lens Migration Studies, Brianna Michaud

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Isoscapes are depictions of the spatial patterns of isotopic values in a given area. Isoscapes can be created using measurements form samples (empirical isoscapes) or using statistical models of spatial isotopic variation (modeled isoscapes). Isoscapes have a wide variety of potential applications though, in the realm of marine ecology, they are most often used infer ecological processes, food web linkages, the origin of samples, and the movements of marine organisms.

However, to use isoscapes for these applications, it is necessary to have isoscapes at spatial scales relevant to the application in question. It is also necessary to have isoscapes that …

The Boy Scouts Of America Merit Badge Program And Career Development, Todd R. Van Auken

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine whether a youth’s career development, as defined by the Career Maturity Inventory (CMI Form C), is associated with motivation, student grade level, and number of merit badges earned as a result of participation as Boy Scouts. For close to three decades there has been a call to improve career counseling for middle and high school youth. However, due to a shortage of school counselors in middle and high schools, counselors are inundated with heavy workloads of various responsibilities and do not always have the ability to focus on youth career development. Thus, …

Noninvasive In Vivo Optoacoustic Imaging Of Alcohol Use Disorder Using A Mouse Model Of Alcohol Use Disorder, Augustine Meombe Mbolle

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research has two parts. The first part focuses on the use of photoacoustic imaging (PAI) to study alcohol-induced effects in the cerebral vasculature of selectively bred alcohol-preferring mice. Part two extends the application of PAI by developing a novel Photoacoustic imaging guided system for repetitive low intensity focused ultrasound (PAI-LIFU) stimulation treatment for alcohol use disorder in crossed high alcohol preferring (cHAP) mice.

Photoacoustic imaging is an emerging hybrid non-invasive optical imaging modality which relies on optical absorption contrast to visualize deep tissue structures and function. It combines the high contrast associated with pure optical imaging and the high …

Soft Magnetic Composite Substrates For Rf/Microwave Applications, Poonam Lathiya

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Novel soft magnetic ferrite materials will play a crucial role in next-generation over one trillion sensors (also known as “trillion sensor economy) related to 5G communications and internet of things, as these materials can achieve improved wireless power and signal transfer efficiency with high operation frequency. In this work, Ni-Cu-Zn and Ni-Co-Zn ferrites with high permeability, high permittivity, and low magnetic and dielectric losses were prepared for RF and microwave device applications. Frequency dispersion of RF complex permeability of Ni-Cu-Zn ferrites prepared under different applied hydraulic pressures and durations have been thoroughly investigated. The Ni0.35Cu0.19Zn0.46Fe2O4 ferrites were prepared by conventional …

Finding Signal In The Noise: High-Fidelity, Quantitative, Optical Blood Perfusion Imaging With Interference, Abdul Mohaimen Safi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For label-free, non-invasive, wide field-of-view (FOV) imaging/monitoring of blood flow, speckle-based approaches are gaining popularity. However, to obtain quantitative flow information, speckle techniques rely on the multi-exposure scheme which requires complex, bulky, and expensive instrumentation, limiting its application to preclinical studies. This dissertation directly addresses these issues. In the first part of this dissertation, we report a novel single shot synthetic multi-exposure speckle imaging (syMESI) method to synthetically produce multi-exposure images from one short single exposure speckle image using spatial binning/averaging. We demonstrate that syMESI can reimagine conventional hardware based MESI, with low-cost single exposure laser speckle imaging (LSCI) instrumentation. …

Torn Between Two Worlds: Role And Identity In Hybrid Teacher Leadership, Lauriann Marie Messier-Jones

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Roles of Hybrid Teacher Leadership (HTL), positions which involve classroom teaching for part of the day and academic coaching, curriculum planning, department chair, or professional development responsibilities for the remainder of the day, are becoming more prevalent due to budgetary concerns and teacher shortages. This autoethnography analyzes the first year of my experience as a Hybrid Teacher Leader in a school district in the Southeastern United States to gain knowledge of my enactment of the role, the ways in which I can learn more about myself as an educator and an academic coach from my experiences in the role, and …

Origin And Epigenetic Regulation Of Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma, Carly M. Harro

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The pathogenesis of Cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) remains unclear. Using conditional knockout mice, we found that ablation of the genomic organizer Special AT-rich sequence-binding protein-1 (Satb1) caused malignant transformation of mature, skin-homing, Notch-activated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells into progressively fatal lymphoma. Mechanistically, Satb1 restrained Stat5 phosphorylation and the expression of skin-homing chemokine receptors in mature T cells. H3K27 and H3K9 trimethylation occluded the SATB1 promoter in Sézary cells, while inhibition of SUV39H1/2 methyltransferases (unlike EZH2 inhibition), restored protective SATB1 expression and selectively abrogated the growth of primary Sézary cells more effectively than romidepsin. Additionally, using single-cell RNA/TCR sequencing …

Thermochemical Conversion Of Lipid-Extracted Algal Biomass To Value-Added Sustainable Products, Magdalini Tsarpali

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The extensive use of fossil fuels has increased the CO2 emissions, a phenomenon that has increased the demand for renewable energy and resources. Algae, photosynthetic aquatic organisms, have recently caught attention due to their high growth rate and the high CO2 capture ability. Biofuels and bioproducts from algae are considered promising alternatives because of their lower carbon footprint. Lipids are by far the most popular algal product, as they find applications in both fuels, such as biodiesel, and products, such as nutraceuticals and cosmetics. However, after lipid extraction, conversion of the residual algal biomass to value-added products is viewed as …

Re-Centering And De-Centering ‘Race’: An Analysis Of Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing Organizational Websites, Beatriz Nieto-Fernandez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing technologies become an ever-expanding business in the United States, this dissertation project investigates the ways in which two leading organizations, AncestryDNA and 23andMe, utilize discourses of ‘race’ to connect with their customers. This study is particularly significant because it opens up new avenues of research in the field of organizational communication by engaging with a new genre of organizations and the complexities of biocapitalism, in which genetic data is commodified for consumption. Blending computational scraping of data and manual qualitative analysis of organizational texts and videos available on the corporate websites, while using postcolonial studies …