Digital Commons Network^™

Assessment Of Artificial Oyster Reef Health Based On Water Quality, Oyster Recruitment, And Perkinsosis Infection In Tampa Bay, Christian J. Goldman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Providing nursey habitat, regulating nutrients, stabilizing shorelines, increasing biological diversity, improving water quality, and creating three-dimensional environments are some of the ecosystem services of oyster reefs. Oyster reefs are threatened by overharvesting, changes in water quality, pollution, and disease. The Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is the primary oyster species along Florida’s Gulf coast. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between multiple parameters on artificial reefs and how they influence the health of these reefs. Here, young (less than five years old) artificial oyster reefs were monitored for one year across three sites in Tampa Bay, FL: Lassing Park (LAS), …

Morphodynamic Evolution Of Midnight Pass, West-Central Florida, Sydney C. Scott

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study takes advantage of a rare opportunity provided by the reopening of Midnight Pass due to two consecutive hurricanes in 2024, to examine the morphologic evolution of a newly reopened inlet and subsequent beach-inlet interactions. Historical aerial photos since the 1940s were collected and analyzed to understand the last closure of Midnight Pass, and to gain knowledge on the future of the newly reopened inlet. Time-series topography and bathymetry survey of the beach-inlet system were conducted bimonthly to quarterly for the first year and a half after the reopening, with the goals of quantifying the morphologic changes and understanding …

Quantitative Determination Of Nano Delivered Kras Sirna, Axel S. Deraspe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the development and validation of analytical methods for the detection of therapeutic KRAS-targeting siRNA in biological systems. Physicochemical characterization showed that p5RHH-formulated siRNA nanoparticles exhibit a controlled nanoscale size distribution, moderate polydispersity, and a negative zeta potential, suggesting colloidal stability and potential suitability for cellular uptake. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed a predominantly spherical morphology with a relatively uniform size distribution, consistent with dynamic light scattering measurements.

To enable accurate siRNA quantification, stem–loop reverse transcription (SL-RT) coupled with SYBR Green–based quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) was optimized. Key parameters, including a primer concentration of 100 nM and …

Situating Stormwater Infrastructure Through Collaborative Design: Insights From A University-Community Partnership, Serena A. Echols

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Stormwater ponds help address flooding and partially mitigate nutrient pollution while sometimes serving as a central landscape element in community parks. In underserved urban communities, however, stormwater ponds are sometimes neglected and underutilized, leading to public health and environmental justice challenges. Our research in Tampa, Florida, seeks to develop pathways for residents and other stakeholders to collaboratively co-design infrastructure interventions and pondscape redevelopment for neglected stormwater ponds. Drawing on ethnographic and participatory methods as well as environmental assessment and modeling, we are working with residents of one pond community on cleanup and redevelopment strategies. Results reveal that balancing local and …

New Developments In Space-Filling Designs, Xiankui Yang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents three methodological advancements to improve the construction of space-filling designs for meeting different needs of computer experiments. Traditional space-filling designs focus on achieving uniform coverage in the input space, ensuring that design points are spread evenly throughout. However, in some scientific and engineering applications, varied density of design points may be desired for more efficient data collection when prior knowledge implies different emphases. In other cases, ensuring good coverage and/or spread of the response values allows better performance of fitted models in the next stage of applications. Many processes involve variation in response values. Therefore, incorporating variation …

Unquaint Pigs’ Stakeholder Perspectives On Wild Swine In Central Western Florida, Tyler Koerner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Anthropocene presents important questions for how to address the continuous transferal of new species into new spaces and the cascading impacts of environmental transformations. Novel ecosystems present one such outline for conservation that acknowledges the modification of historic ecosystems and the social entanglements that arrive with new species. I argue that novel ecosystems can benefit from further anthropological integrations that aid in describing the entanglements of introduced species and the pursuit of best managerial outcomes. For wild swine in Florida, the adoption of a novel approach is especially relevant because of entanglements with historic and modern Floridian stakeholders and …

The Heterogeneous Response Of Astrocytes In Different Brain Regions Under Metabolic Stress, Pawan Kumar Thapaliya

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Astrocytes play a central role in maintaining ionic homeostasis, neurotransmitter clearance, and brain en-ergy metabolism. Their excitability, reflected in activity-evoked intracellular sodium (Na+, [Na+]i) and calcium (Ca2+,[Ca+]i) dynamics, is increasingly recognized as a critical determinant of neuronal function and vulnerability, particularly under metabolic stress. Despite their importance, the mechanisms underlying astrocytic ionic signaling and its regional heterogeneity remain incompletely understood. In this thesis, I developed detailed computational and biophysical models to investigate astrocytic Na+ and Ca2+ dynamics, their bioenergetic consequences, and the roles of key ion transporters under physiological and metabolically stressed conditions, validating the models against experi- mental data. …

An Equity Analysis Of Battery Electric Vehicles During Evacuation Considering Social And Financial Disadvantage, Divyamitra Mishra

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The increasing share of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in the transportation system is introducing new challenges to the emergency evacuation planning and management. During Hurricane Milton (2024), incidents involving BEVs, including battery fires, attributed to saltwater exposure risk, and advisories recommending relocation to higher ground, highlighted operational vulnerabilities unique to this technology. These emerging risks are likely to be experienced heterogeneously, as access to charging infrastructure, available resources, and evacuation flexibility varies across the population. This raises critical questions about how BEV-specific constraints interact with existing inequalities during evacuation. Motivated by this context, the dissertation investigated inequity in BEV evacuation …

Unveiling The Intersection Of Institutional Racial Identity And Student Loan Debt: An Analysis Of The State University System Of Florida’S Higher Education Institutions, Valerie Marie Moore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Federal student loan patterns in Florida’s State University System (SUS) from 2013/14 to 2022/23 reflect differences in institutional revenue capacity rather than individual borrowing behavior. Using data from all 12 SUS institutions, this study examined how institutional wealth and revenue composition shape student loan outcomes through both race neutral and race considerate analyses informed by Ray’s (2019) theory of racialized organizations. Overall, the SUS operates as a racialized organizational field in which inequities in funding flows, access to capital, and institutional logics sustain long term disparities in wealth and debt. Results show that borrowing levels closely track how institutions assemble …

The Philosopher Of The Future: What Is It To Us That Herr Nietzsche Has Become Well Again?, Erli Mertika

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation argues that Nietzsche thought he was a genuine philosopher despite seeming at times to suggest that he was not. I arrive at this conclusion by comparing his thoughts on genuine philosophers with his thoughts about himself in an effort to show that his self-professed task is identical to theirs.

There are two types of genuine philosophers in Nietzsche’s late works: an old species that relied on a belief in “God” to legislate their values, and a new one that must do so without it. The former cannot perform their task after the death of God, which is why …

Theory And Applications Of Natural And Nature-Based Solutions In Estuarine Environments, Elizabeth L. Royer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the theory and application of Nature-based Solutions (NbS), through three unique case studies. This study explores how the broad and interdisciplinary NbS framework can be applied to mitigate common coastal hazards. This framework considers the environment, economics, and social wellbeing, equally in the design and implementation of a solution. The current paradigm, working against nature, which is commonly seen in more passive approaches to hazard mitigation, like grey infrastructure (e.g. a seawall to protect a shoreline against wave action) does not accommodate the extremely dynamic environment. As perspectives shift to “working with nature” NbS can be …

Novel Electrical Interfaces For Bionic Limbs, Matthew Aaron Melton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Advancements in neural interfaces are pivotal for enhancing the functionality and longevity of implantable biomedical applications, particularly in the field of neuroprosthetics. This dissertation is focused on the continuing development of a novel neural interface fabricated from silicon carbide (SiC). SiC has demonstrated superior performance over traditional silicon-based material systems due to its exceptional biocompatibility, hemocompatibility, and electrochemical stability. The research herein explores silicon carbide’s semiconductor properties, with a highlighted focus on a unique and innovative design structure - centered around a p-n junction. This work examines detailed fabrication steps of an all-SiC device, acute-style packaging (for future in vivo …

Chemical Design Strategies For Hybrid Metal Halide Semiconductors With Enhanced Stability And Optoelectronic Properties, Ali Azmy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Metal halide semiconductors have rejuvenated the attention of the scientific community for the last two decades owing to their photophysical and electronic properties. However, these materials have some limitations that hinder their commercialization and widespread application. One major limitation of these materials is their instability under ambient and operating conditions of moisture, head, light and radiation exposure. Here, we report multiple chemical design strategies to address the stability issues of these materials while simultaneously maintaining their exceptional optoelectronic properties. Such design strategies allowed the acquisition of the first members of the family of porous metal halide semiconductors which exhibit record …

Temporally Modulated Acoustic Environment Alters Inferior Colliculus Tonotopy And Improves Neural Gap Encoding In Aged Cba/Caj Mice, Luis Franco-Waite

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is an omnipresent and progressive decline of hearing that occurs later in life and affects a significant majority of the aged population. While the current accommodations for hearing loss focus on improving comfort and quality of life, they do not address the underlying neural aspects of ARHL. A novel approach for treatment is the augmented acoustic environment (AAE) which utilizes the innate plasticity of the nervous system in response to the external environment. The work presented here documents the research performed on passive noise exposures which target neural aspects in animal models of age-related hearing loss. …

Exploiting Chaotic Antenna Arrays For Rf Fingerprint Authentication And Physical Layer Security In Wireless Communications, Joshua K. Thomas Ranstrom

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Modern wireless networks support a wide range of applications including consumer devices, healthcare monitoring, industrial automation, smart grids, and military platforms, in which transmitted information is often highly sensitive and subject to stringent confidentiality and integrity requirements. As wireless communication operates over an open broadcast medium it exposes systems to physical layer (PHY) threats such as eavesdropping, in which an adversary passively intercepts transmitted information, and spoofing, in which a forged transmission misleads the receiver about device identity. Cryptographic defenses address both threats but require computational assumptions and key management infrastructure that may not scale to dense or resource-constrained deployments. …

Geospatial Understanding Of Foundation Models: Self-Supervision, Robustness, And Resource-Constrained Learning, Gilbert Kibet Rotich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research on large-scale geospatial understanding from satellite imagery remains relativelyunderexplored. Much of the field still relies on narrow, task-specific pipelines, and there is lim- ited work on developing true foundation models or on systematically evaluating how well these models generalize under domain shift, geographic variation, and real-world scene diversity. This dissertation advances foundation-model pretraining and evaluation for remote sensing along three complementary axes. First, we develop self-supervised multispectral pretrained models for satellite image classification by adapting BYOL, BarlowTwins, DINO, MoCo, and Simsiam to multispectral inputs, addressing the limited amount of curated satellite datasets relative to ImageNet. Pretraining on Eurosat and …

Death And Things: Toward A Theory Of Self-Holding Objects, Kirsten J. Lee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how material objects function as existential supports under conditions of cultural exclusion. Drawing on Terror Management Theory (TMT), minority stress theory, and José Muñoz’s concept of disidentification, it introduces the construct of self-holding objects: possessions imbued with identity-sustaining meaning that stabilize the self. Study 1 employed a qualitative photovoice design with 16 queer adults and identified five primary existential functions of meaningful objects: affirming worth, regulating the body, mirroring the self, authorizing possibility, and enabling worldmaking. These findings suggest that objects operate as material anchors within distributed systems of meaning. Study 2 experimentally tested whether imagining the …

It’S Not Me, It’S U(Niversity): A Longitudinal Study Of The First-Generation Graduate Student Experience Navigating Privacy And Identity During Socialization, Melissa L. Mccormick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This longitudinal study examines the experiences of first-generation graduate students (FGGS; students whose parent(s) do not hold a 4-year undergraduate degree). Specifically, it considers how FGGS manage their private information throughout the first year of their graduate program, and how the intersection of their FGGS status with other aspects of their identity may shape those experiences (e.g. the overlapping of FGGS status, race, and socioeconomic status). While there is substantial research on the first-generation student experience at an undergraduate level, FGGS have largely been left out of the conversation (exception: Levin, 2022). Guided by theories of organizational socialization (Jablin, 1985), …

“Why Does My White Coat Feel So Tight?”: A Program Evaluation Of Well-Being Support For Physician Assistant Students, Danielle Castro

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a program evaluation of the Wellness Initiatives (WI) Program in the University of South Florida’s Physician Assistant (PA) Program, an accelerated 24-month graduate curriculum. The problem of practice is that PA students reported burnout, feeling overwhelmed, and difficulty navigating support within a year-round structure that did not consistently align with centralized university services. Guided by Theory of Change as the theoretical framework and Improvement Science as the conceptual framework, the evaluation examined how iterative wellness supports shaped students’ perceptions of well-being across six implementation cycles (May 2023–March 2025). A convergent parallel mixed methods design integrated survey data …

Secure Machine Learning In Networking Systems, Wenwei Zhao

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the rapid integration of Machine Learning (ML) into networking systems, ensuring the security and trustworthiness of these intelligent frameworks has become a paramount concern. While ML offers unprecedented capabilities in spectrum management and collaborative learning, it also introduces novel vulnerabilities that can be exploited by sophisticated adversaries. This dissertation investigates and addresses critical security challenges across three key dimensions of ML-driven networking: adversarial spectrum sensing, the security of privacy-preserving unlearning processes, and efficient post-attack model recovery.

First, we address the threat of adversarial spectrum attacks in cognitive radio networks, where malicious nodes manipulate sensing reports to disrupt spectrum access. …

The Molecular Determinants Of Deglycation And Substrate Specificity In Fructosamine Kinases, Jenet Matlack

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Protein glycation is a universal, non-enzymatic modification that occurs when a sugar covalently attaches to a primary amine. These spontaneous modifications may have deleterious or regulatory effects on protein function, and their removal is mediated by the conserved metabolic kinase fructosamine-3-kinase (FN3K). Despite its crucial role in protein repair, we currently have a poor understanding of how FN3K engages or phosphorylates its substrates. Additionally, the molecular basis for the distinct yet overlapping substrate specificities of FN3K and its paralog, ketosamine-3 kinase (KT3K), remains unresolved. By integrating structural biology, biochemistry, and ancestral protein reconstruction (APR), this thesis elucidates the catalytic mechanism …

Housing Affordability Analysis Of Hillsborough County, Fl, Usa – Quantitative And Geographical Analysis Using Spatiotemporal Data, Bomin Koh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Housing affordability assessments rely on the 30 percent income method and generalized linear regression (GLR)-based hedonic price modeling. Both provide broad insights but fail to capture spatial heterogeneity in affordability challenges. This study upgrades housing affordability assessment approaches by incorporating the residual income method and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR). The primary objective of this study is to determine whether methodological improvements, residual income method and GWR, yield significantly different results and provide a more accurate and spatially adaptive understanding of affordability dynamics in Hillsborough County, Florida.

The 30 percent income method is widely used and classifies households as cost-burdened if …

The Power Of A Princess: Rebranding For A New Generation, Victoria A. Heath

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The lyric “Well, that sounds an awful lot like princess problems” from Snow White (2025) reflects Disney’s evolving portrayal of its princesses as more self-aware and independent. This shift is echoed in earlier live-action adaptations, such as Beauty and the Beast (2017), where Belle’s longing for “adventure in the great wide somewhere” signals her rejection of a limited, traditional role. Guided by Feminist Film Theory and media framing, this study examines how Disney’s rebranding of princess characters in Beauty and the Beast (2017), The Little Mermaid (2023), and Snow White (2025) reflects contemporary ideals of empowerment. Through narrative content and …

How Do Water Utilities Meet Growing Demand And Maintain Resilience Through Water Reuse? A Systems Thinking Approach, Elizabeth F. Vicario

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water and wastewater utility management is becoming increasingly complex due to factors like urbanization, climate change, new regulations, and rising costs. Utility leaders must balance competing political and financial pressures while managing aging infrastructure, rising demand, climate resilience planning, and customer concerns about affordability. Reuse of treated wastewater has emerged as a promising solution to address scarcity, declining source water quality, and new regulations on wastewater discharge in the United States. However, water reuse is not one-size-fits-all, and bespoke solutions are needed to optimize economic, environmental, and social returns from this finite resource. Despite growing interest, little is known about …

Making Sense Of The Body: Cognitive Science, Disability, And Embodiment, Cheyne L. Joslin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project is to analyze different methodological approaches in the philosophy of cognitive science, with the goal of determining their usefulness for explaining and understanding bodily awareness and skill-acquisition over time. The examples of skill-acquisition are limited to motor control, impaired by various kinds of disability—but then acquired over time, via technological or rehabilitative means. These phenomena of motor learning are then viewed through the lens of two competing theoretical approaches in cognitive science: neuromechanical cognitive science, and radical enactivist cognitive science.

The strengths of the neuromechanical framework are found in its historical pedigree, and in the …

Transport And Aging Pathways Of Microplastics In Urban Aquatic Systems, Jessica J. Boyer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microplastics are pervasive in urban aquatic systems, which serve as both conduits of particle flow and incubators of microplastics. These aquatic systems transport microplastic particles while simultaneously altering their physical, chemical, and biological properties. Despite their growing environmental relevance, constructed wetlands and riverine systems remain underrepresented in studies of microplastic fate and transport. This dissertation aims to assess the patterns influencing microplastic transport and aging across urban aquatic environments through a combination of field experiments and mechanistic modeling.

Four interconnected studies were conducted to address this objective. The first investigated the horizontal and vertical transport of microplastics within the Se7en …

Understanding And Defending Large-Scale Networked Systems: From Wi-Fi Localization To Provenance- Based Intrusion Detection, Xiao Han

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Modern networked systems increasingly depend on wireless sensing and large-scale telemetry to provide critical services and maintain security. However, many of these systems function as black boxes or encounter significant scalability limitations, which leave them vulnerable to sophisticated adversaries. In this dissertation, I present my research on enhancing the security and efficiency of networked systems through measurement-driven vulnerability analysis and the design of scalable defense mechanisms.

First, I present my research on the security and privacy risks of Wi-Fi–based localization services. Although location spoofing attacks against Wi-Fi positioning systems have been studied for over a decade, constructing practical attacks in …

Mismatched Music And Meams: Short-Form Social Media Videos And Social Attitude Messaging, Kaitlyn M. Serafin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

“If the formative power in the media are the media themselves, that raises a host of large matters” (McLuhan, 1964, p. 10). Famed communications theorist Marshall McLuhan stated this all the way back in the 60s to explain how technology can act as a formative force in the messaging of media. This is because the medium in which they communicate the messaging can act as its own force, shaping the message like clay. The dominant media at the time of this theory was television; however, in the past decade social media and short-form social media videos have become dominant forms …

Spin Pumping And Interfacial Anisotropy In Ultrathin Cobalt Heterostructures, Ibrahim Almuhanna

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Interfaces dominate the behavior of ultrathin ferromagnets, where interfacial spin-orbit coupling(SOC) can strongly influence both magnetic anisotropy and magnetization dynamics. This thesis compares how a heavy-metal interface (Pt) and a semiconducting two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) interface (MoSe2) modify the static and dynamic magnetic properties of ultrathin Co. To isolate interface-driven effects, the heterostructure architecture is kept fixed (sapphire substrate and Si3N4 cap) while only the seeding/interface layer beneath Co is varied. MoSe2 is studied in two thickness conditions (monolayer and bilayer) to test layer-dependent trends.

Layer thicknesses are determined by X-ray reflectivity. Static magnetic properties are measured by in-plane vibrating …

Quantification Of Interfacial Defects In Frp-Strengthened Rc Member Using Non-Destructive Testing Methods, Yuliya Tyrak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are widely used to strengthen reinforced concrete (RC) structures. However, the long-term performance of these systems depends on the integrity of the FRP–concrete bond. Interfacial defects such as debonding, delamination, cracking, and voids may reduce structural capacity and are often difficult to detect using conventional inspection techniques. This study investigates the effectiveness of nondestructive testing (NDT) methods for detecting interfacial defects in FRP-strengthened RC members. It explores the potential for automated defect identification using thermal imaging and machine learning.

Laboratory specimens with predefined defects were fabricated and tested using visual inspection (VI), tap testing …