Digital Commons Network^™

The Short-Term Effects Of Different Removal Methods Of Urochloa Maxima, Guinea Grass, On Acoustic Complexity, Connor D. Wagner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Invasive exotic species are one of the biggest threats to ecosystems in Florida, and land managers instill numerous methods to try and control them. Mechanical treatment, such as mowing, and chemical treatment, such as foliar spraying with the herbicide glyphosate, are two methods of invasive species removal. While the effectiveness of these management practices has been thoroughly observed and studied, little research has been done on their impacts to the ecological soundscape. The ecological soundscape refers to all biotic and abiotic sounds produced in the environment. Species presence and acoustic complexity was measured before and immediately following a mechanical and …

“I Woke Up To The World”: Politicizing Blackness And Multiracial Identity Through Activism, Angelica Celeste Loblack

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Drawing from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 21 Black multiracial students, this project explores the extent to which processes of racial socialization and racialization can differentially inform how Black multiracial students navigate and experience involvement in

Black student and activist organizations. It unpacks the ways that anti-Black racialization and racism, experienced in the college setting, can motivate Black multiracial students’ involvement in student organizations. Moreover, it highlights the ways in which involvement in anti-racist activism and Black student organizations can impact Black multiracial students’ understandings of blackness, multiraciality, and identity more broadly. To operationalize the long term impacts of Black organizational …

The Role Of Apkcs And Apkc Inhibitors In Cell Proliferation And Invasion In Breast And Ovarian Cancer, Tracess B. Smalley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research has demonstrated that the atypical protein kinase C-zeta (PKC-ζ) is a component of many dysregulated pathways in breast and ovarian cancer, including cellular proliferation, survival, and cell cycle upregulation. Breast and ovarian cancers affect women every day and are second and fifth leading cause of cancer death. Women who seek treatments are commonly met with invasive surgeries or chemotherapy. Protein kinase C (PKC) is a family of serine and threonine phosphorylating kinases that have been shown to modulate and transduce signaling cascades that play roles in the development and survival of cancers. Atypical PKC (aPKC), have been heavily suggested …

Testing Glutathione-S-Transferase Mu 1 (Gstm1) In Protecting Retinal Pigment Epithelium Cells From Oxidative Stress, Inyoung C. Garner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Currently, the most widely available treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) involves the intraocular delivery of biopharmaceuticals, such as anti-VEGF therapy. Drawbacks of this treatment includes a short-term efficacy, requiring repeated injections with additional risks, and a limited availability of options for non-responders. Furthermore, there are no treatments available for patients diagnosed with dry-AMD. The drawbacks and limitations of current therapies represent a need for more effective and permanent therapy as the prevalence of the population affected by AMD is growing. Antioxidant gene therapies are one solution to these implications, protecting the cells from oxidative stress which is one …

Developing And Facilitating Socioscientific Issues Based Science Lessons: Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Experiences, Melanie Kinskey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Instruction focused around socioscientific issues (SSI) has been found to improve skills for scientific literacy among K – 12 students. Unfortunately, teachers and preservice teachers are reluctant to implement SSI during science instruction due to a lack of self-efficacy or fear of the nature of controversial issues. In response to this obstacle, many researchers have begun work with helping preservice teachers become prepared to facilitate SSI. While there are findings from existing research that contribute to the overall state of preparing preservice teachers to facilitate SSI, perhaps the most influential is the assertion that preservice teachers need formal SSI training …

Investigation Of Retention Versus Export Of Planktonic Fish Eggs In The Northeastern Gulf Of Mexico, Bich Vi Viviane Nguyen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Planktonic fish eggs can be reliably identified with DNA barcoding, and their distribution and abundance can be monitored. Passive drifting fish eggs can be advected by ocean currents and as a result, can either be locally retained or exported away from the West Florida Shelf (WFS). Investigating their retention or export helps in the interpretation of egg abundance trends and in understanding their distribution in long-term surveys. The present investigation was performed in two steps using a combination of biological and physical oceanographic methods. First, fish fecundity of three species (Red Snapper, Vermilion Snapper, and Sand Perch) was assessed, first, …

Performance Enhancement Techniques For Next-Generation Multi-Service Communication And Medical Cyber-Physical Systems, Ali Fatih Demir

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Advances in science and technology have significantly improved our quality of life over the past decades. For example, wireless communication systems have evolved from basic voice services to delivering high-definition video for entertainment or business conferences at an accelerating pace. Furthermore, progress in cyber-physical systems has led to the development of brain-computer interfaces and wireless body area networks with the vision of advanced pervasive healthcare, anytime and anywhere. The primary motivation of this dissertation is to improve the performance of the next-generation multi-service communication and medical cyber-physical systems.

The research has been concentrated in physical (PHY)/medium access control (MAC) layer …

Elemental Climate Disaster Texts And Queer Ecological Temporality, Laura Mattson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis approaches climate disaster texts as an opportunity to challenge constructions of the body, space, and time. Developed from embodied experiential knowledge about hurricanes, my work will explore how climate disasters can teach us to reimagine human-nature relationships. In my two analysis chapters, I use critical textual analysis and autoethnography to challenge particular representations of the human-nature relationship as a binary between nature and culture. By intervening in the nature-culture binary, I theorize queer ecological temporality as an opportunity to reveal and challenge constructions of nature and time. Working at the intersections of queer and ecocritical theory, this thesis …

Asking Why: Analyzing Students' Explanations Of Organic Chemistry Reaction Mechanisms Using Lexical Analysis And Predictive Logistic Regression Models, Amber J. Dood

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In order to evaluate student understanding of chemical reactions and reaction mechanisms, it is necessary to ask students to construct written or oral explanations of mechanistic representations. Studies have shown that students can reproduce pictorial representations of organic chemistry mechanisms without understanding the meaning of the representations. Grading written assessments is time-consuming, which limits their use in large-lecture courses. To address this limitation, lexical analysis and logistic regression techniques can be used to develop models that predict human scoring for constructed-response items. In this dissertation, students’ responses to constructed-response items about what is happening and why in organic chemistry reaction …

Kinesthetically Speaking: Human And Animal Communication In British Literature Of The Long Eighteenth Century, Dana Jolene Laitinen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While scholars have studied talking animals in British children’s literature of the long eighteenth century, little attention has been given to cross-species conversations. Thus, my research starts with the following questions: what does it mean when humans talk to animals in literary texts? What do representations of interspecific communication in eighteenth-century British literature accomplish? Interspecific communication in the literary works of this study may be understood in the context of the philosophy of sensibility’s debt to French Renaissance humanist Michel de Montaigne, particularly his arguments about animal semiosis in An Apology for Raymond Sebond. I argue that interspecific conversations challenge …

Structure Based Inhibitor Discovery Targeting Multiple Β-Lactamases Involved In Antibiotic Resistance, Afroza Akhtar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emergence of antibiotic resistance severely threatens the existing medication and prevention facilities against an over increasing range of infections caused by a wide range of microbes. Specifically, treatment of Gram-negative bacterial infection is getting more problematic due to their resilience against β-lactam antibiotics: the most commonly prescribed antibiotics in clinical settings. Production of β-lactamases is the most prevalent mechanism utilized by various Gram-negative pathogens to become resistant to the β-lactam antibiotics e.g, penicillins, cephalosporins, carbapenems and monobactams. These enzymes mediate their function through hydrolyzing the core β-lactam ring present in all β-lactam antibiotics which causes opening of the ring and …

Mechanisms Of Carbon Movement And Stabilization In Mangrove Wetlands, Carey Schafer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mangrove forests have higher rates of carbon storage per unit area than any other coastal or terrestrial habitat, largely due to their significant soil stocks. More effort has been placed on quantifying mangrove soil carbon stock, the amount of carbon stored in the upper meter of mangrove soils, than identifying the processes governing in situ soil organic carbon (SOC) cycling and stabilization. An understanding of the mechanisms related to carbon transport and stability is necessary to constrain current wetland carbon stocks and to determine how sea level rise will impact future carbon stores. This study uses a variety of radiometric …

Clustering Methods For Gene Expression Data Of Oxytricha Trifallax, Kyle Houfek

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Clustering is a data analysis method which is used in a large variety of research fields. Many different algorithms exist for clustering, and none of them can be considered universally better than the others. Different methods of clustering are expounded upon, including hierarchical clustering and k-means clustering. Topological data analysis is also described, showing how topology can be used to infer structural information about the data set. We discuss how one finds the validity of clusters, as well as an optimal clustering method, and conclude with how we used various clustering methods to analyze transcriptome data from the ciliate Oxytricha …

Assessment Of Land Cover Change In St. Martin’S Marsh Aquatic Preserve, Florida, Usa, Katie Wagner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

St. Martin’s Marsh Aquatic Preserve (SMMAP) is a 28,461 acre (115.18 km2) preserve located on the coast of Citrus County, Florida, USA. There has been no published research that focused on coastal change on this unique coast. This thesis research focuses on coastal land cover change that has occurred within the preserve from 1988 to 2018. Multitemporal Landsat images were classified using a support vector machine (SVM) classification, while changes in vegetation were evaluated using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Field research was conducted to examine nineteen sites for classification training and test data and notes on habitat composition. …

Lung Nodule Malignancy Prediction From Computed Tomography Images Using Deep Learning, Rahul Paul

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lung cancer has a high incidence and mortality rate. The five-year relative survival rate for all lung cancers is 18%. Due to the high mortality and incidence rate of lung cancer worldwide, early detection is essential. Low dose Computed Tomography (CT) is a commonly used technique for screening, diagnosis, and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) compared low-dose helical computed tomography (LDCT) and standard chest radiography (CXR) for three annual screens and reported a 20% relative reduction in lung cancer mortality for LDCT compared to CXR. As such, LDCT screening for lung cancer …

Algorithms And Framework For Computing 2-Body Statistics On Graphics Processing Units, Napath Pitaksirianan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Various types of two-body statistics (2-BS) are regarded as essential components of low-level data analysis in scientific database systems. In relational algebraic terms, a 2-BS is essentially a Cartesian product between two datasets (or two instances of the same dataset) followed by a user-defined aggregate. The quadratic complexity of these computations hinders the timely processing of data. Thus using modern parallel hardware has become an obvious solution to meet such challenges. This dissertation presents our recent work in designing and optimizing parallel algorithms for 2-BS computation on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). The unique architecture, however, provides abundant opportunities for optimizing …

The Effects Of Socioscientific Issues On Informal Reasoning And The Transference To Controversial Issues In A Social Studies Context, Thomas J. Dolan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if informal reasoning skills associated with socioscientific issues (SSI) transferred to controversial issues in a social studies context. The principal researcher developed three controversial issues derived from social studies education to create social studies context issues (SSCI). This acronym has been termed by the principal researcher, as controversial issues in social studies have not been evaluated beyond the social studies classroom. Twenty-one, fifth grade students participated in this three-month study, which featured three specific SSI units (A Need for Speed? – speed limit reduction, Roller Coaster Ban – preventing injuries to children, …

Isotope-Based Methods For Evaluating Fish Trophic Geographies, Julie L. Vecchio

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Data on the movement and diets of fish during a variety of life stages are important inputs to fisheries stock assessments and marine ecosystem models. Stable isotopes may provide previously inaccessible information on movement and diet of a variety of managed and forage fish species. Here I used several novel means of interpretation for stable isotope data to infer diets and movements of several important fisheries species over both short (weeks to months) and long (lifetime) timescales. To calculate a constant partitioning offset (CPO) between the δ¹⁵N of muscle and of liver tissue, I conducted a literature search …

Global And Stochastic Dynamics Of Diffusive Hindmarsh-Rose Equations In Neurodynamics, Chi Phan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consisting of three parts is the study of the open problems of global dynamics of diffusive Hindmarsh-Rose equations, random dynamics of the stochastic Hindmarsh-Rose equations with multiplicative noise and additive noise respectively, and synchronization of boundary coupled Hindmarsh-Rose neuron networks.

In Part I (Chapters 2, 3 and 4) of this dissertation, we study the global dynamics for the single neuron model of diffusive and partly diffusive Hindmarsh-Rose equations on a three-dimensional bounded domain. The existence of global attractors as well as its regularity and structure are established by showing the absorbing properties and the asymptotically compact characteristics, especially …

Development And Application Of Computational Models For Biochemical Systems, Fiona L. Kearns

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chemistry is the study of matter and its transformations. Computational chemistry uses computer models to study chemistry in all its intricate complexity. In this thesis I hope to accessibly introduce fundamental concepts central for computational chemistry including quantum mechanics, molecular mechanics, and multiscale modeling. I then present several works which I have conducted throughout my graduate career employing many different computational methods. The investigations described here can be summarized as follows. Chapter 2.1 modeling proteins involved in crustacean molting, and identifying possible inhibitors to this molting. Chapter 2.2 modeling d-fructose bound to synthetic saccharide receptors with hopes of improving saccharide …

Identifying Barriers And Facilitators To Improve Hepatitis C Virus Screening, Linh M. Duong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Birth cohort hepatitis C Virus (HCV) screening recommendations were issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Despite this, studies have reported low HCV screening rates. Currently, the prevalence of HCV screening rates nationally is unknown and there are no in-depth studies that have evaluated the barriers or facilitators of HCV screening. Our study aimed to fill this gap by 1) conducting a systematic literature review to assess the national HCV screening prevalence, 2) evaluating temporal trends in HCV screening using a large academic …

Evaluation Of Optimal Technique For Left Breast Irradiation, Amitpal Singh Saini

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Numerous studies have indicated that radiation therapy reduces the risk of the local recurrence of breast cancer in several cases and that it has increased the overall survival rate. Although radiation therapy is beneficial for the treatment of breast cancer, it is known to increase the risk of both radiation toxicity and secondary breast cancer. In left-sided breast cancer, radiation therapy treatment often leads to the heart and its components—such as the left ventricle and left anterior descending artery—being exposed to high doses of radiation because of the proximity of the heart to the left breast, resulting in cardiac complications …

Targeting Cancer-Anorexia Cachexia Syndrome And Septic Inflammatory-Based Atrophy With R/S 1,3 Butanediol Acetoacetate Diester, Andrew P. Koutnik

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cancer anorexia cachexia syndrome (CACS) is a distinct atrophy disease negatively influencing multiple aspects of clinical care and patient quality of life. Although it directly causes 20% of all cancer-related deaths, there are currently no model systems that encompass the entire multifaceted syndrome, nor are there any effective therapeutic treatments. Here, we show that the VM-M3 mouse model of systemic metastasis demonstrates a novel, immunocompetent, logistically feasible, repeatable phenotype with progressive tumor growth, spontaneous metastatic spread, and the full multifaceted CACS with expected sex dimorphisms across tissue wasting. We also demonstrate that the ubiquitin proteasomal degradation pathway was significantly upregulated …

Differential Mobility Spectrometry-Mass Spectrometry (Dms-Ms) For Forensic And Nuclear-Forensic Applications, Ifeoluwa Ayodeji

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In forensics and nuclear-forensics, the current lab-based analytical technique employed can be laborious, time consuming, and less suitable for in-situ and real time screening. However, it is important to develop fast and fieldable instrumental technique, without a tradeoff for its high throughput, for drug screening and radionuclear analysis. The underlying factors to be considered in the instrument development ranges from: high potency of samples, even at very low concentration; complex nature of samples in the surrounding environment; real-time chemical composition variation; and instrument size, weight and power (SWAP) consideration. Differential mobility spectrometry (DMS), also known as field asymmetric waveform ion …

Male And Female Students’ Persistence In Stem Fields In Community Colleges: A Secondary Analysis Of Nces Bps:12/14 Data, Ying Hu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Today, economic growth, technology advancement, and daily life are all driven by science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). American colleges and universities need to produce more STEM graduates in order to meet rapid job growth. The purpose of this study was to determine the significant factors that influence the persistence of STEM students in community colleges. The research described the characteristics of STEM students who persisted and of those who did not in STEM, as well as the different characteristics between male and female students. It also investigated student and institutional factors that influenced STEM students’ persistence. Furthermore, the study …

Adolescent Asthma And School Disparities: An Ecological Perspective Of Students And Stakeholders, Tali Schneider

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Asthma is a chronic condition that mainly affects adolescents. Recent reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate a gradual increase in rates of lifetime asthma among adolescents from 17.1% in 2005 to 22.8% in 2015. Currently, one in ten adolescents nation-wide experience active asthma; similar trends are seen in the state of Florida (Florida Asthma Program, 2013; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Prevention, 2015). As a chronic, lifelong condition, asthma can be life-threatening if not properly controlled. When exacerbated, attacks of asthma constrict airways, leading to restrained breathing, wheezing, coughing and chest pain (Parulekar, Alobaidy, …

Rainfall, Precipitation, And Drought Patterns Associated With Wintertime Transmission Of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (Eeev) In Florida, Bestami Cevher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Eastern Equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a highly pathogenic alphavirus that causes disease in humans and horses. EEEV cases are common in the eastern North America, especially in horses in the State of Florida. EEEV cases are most common in Florida during May to August but also occur year-round, unlike most other locations. According to the Florida Department of Health, 65 EEEV horse cases were documented in the winter months between 2005 and 2018. This study investigates the meteorological activities that affect the wintertime transmission of the EEEV virus to horses. In this, we examined meteorological data up to a …

Functional Significance Of Endothelial Sigma-1 Receptors In Vascular Reactivity And Barrier Function, Zeinab Y. Motawe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The sigma-1 receptor (σ1) is a single 25 kD polypeptide that acts as a chaperone protein residing primarily in the endoplasmic reticulum Its interaction with mitochondria at the mitochondria-associated ER membrane domain is well-documented. Following activation, σ1 binds to the inositol trisphosphate receptor (Hayashi & Su), and modulates intracellular calcium homeostasis. Also, the activated σ1 modulates plasma membrane receptors and ion channel functions, and may regulate cellular excitability. Further, σ1 affects trafficking of lipids and proteins essential for neurotransmission, cell growth and motility. Activation of σ1 provides neuroprotection and cardio-protection in various models. Examples of neuroprotection include but not limited …

Gradient Boosting For Survival Analysis With Applications In Oncology, Nam Phuong Nguyen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cancer is one of the most deadly diseases that the world has been fighting against over decades. An enormous number of research has been conducted, via a wide scale of approaches, raging from genetic analysis to mathematical modeling. Survival analysis is a well-performed methodology frequently used to estimate the survival probability of a patient. Although there has been a large number of methods for survival analysis, efficient exploration of a high-dimensional feature space has been challenging due to its computational cost and complexity. This thesis adapts the component-wise gradient boosting algorithms for cancer survival analysis, and also proposes a new …

Disrupting The Heteronormative Mindset In Teacher Preparation Through Inclusive Children's Literature, Denise I. Donahue

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Because of discrimination that presents itself through bullying based on identity, and the lack of positive LGBTQIA+ representation within classroom lessons, there is a need for a higher quality of preparation for teachers in order to create inclusive environments.

All teachers, particularly new teachers, need to know how to effectively work with diverse learners to meet their needs academically, emotionally and socially. This includes preparing teachers to instruct students and work with families who include LGBTQIA+ members. LGBTQIA+ students are often marginalized, discounted, harassed or invisible. (Kosciw, Greytak, Zongrone, Clark, & Truong, 2018). There is a need for a higher …