Digital Commons Network^™

An Experimental Study Of Negative Performance Feedback: Consideration Of A Cognitive Pathway And Individual Difference Factors, Ansley M. Bender

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Negative performance feedback is relatively common and may be related to negative mental health outcomes, but there is a lack of sufficient experimental research. Further, little is known about the pathway by which effects emerge, or factors that may enhance or attenuate resilience to the effects of negative performance feedback. There is preliminary support for a cognitive pathway through appraisals of falling short of standards, but this specific model remains untested. Likewise, research suggests that perfectionism and positive future thinking may affect resilience in the context of negative performance feedback. The present study was among the first to experimentally test …

Analysis And Model Of Sensor-Less Modified Direct Torque Control Surface Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine For Electrical Submersible Pumping Applications, Mulu Woldeyohannes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines a novel sensor-less Direct Torque Control (DTC) strategy for Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP) systems using Surface Mounted Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (SPMSM) that are used for oil and gas production. As oil and gas are the two largest fuels in use today to generate energy, the technologies to improve efficiency, increase reliability and reduce carbon footprint are essential. SPMSM is one of the main motor topologies in use to improve the reliability and efficiency of ESP systems. Due to the absence of damper winding, SPMSM cannot be started using Direct On-Line (DOL) control. Instead, Variable Speed Drives …

“You Don’T Seek Help, You Are Just Thankful For The Things The Country Provides For You.” The Emotional Burden Of Growing Up Undocumented In The United States, Melanie Anne Escue

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For over a decade, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has provided more than 800,000 undocumented young adults with the ability to lawfully reside in the United States. Despite the program’s benefits, DACA falls short of offering long-term security and full societal integration. Over the past few years, political and legal attacks on the DACA program (e.g., actions of the former Trump administration, 2017 DACA recission, ongoing court proceedings) have made visible the precarious nature of the program and threatened the futures of young adults protected under the program. While prior studies have found that the growing anti-immigrant …

Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Immigration-Related Stressors, Pregnancy, Birth, And Post-Partum Experiences Of Women Living Along The Us-Mexico Border, Isabela Solis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic coupled with immigration-related stressors had a profound effect on women who lived on the U.S.-Mexico border and their pregnancy, birth, and post-partum experiences. This project focused the experiences of 17 women living in El Paso, Texas and how border closure, economic insecurities, and family separation during the COVID-19 pandemic shaped women’s experiences. This research included interviewing maternal and child health experts to propose recommendations geared towards policy change. Finally, this project highlights the vast complexities that go into the pregnancy, birth, and post-partum period for women living on the U.S.-Mexico border, and how these experiences shape maternal …

Essays On Cybersecurity And Information Privacy, Moez Hamedani Farokhnia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation research focuses on two key aspects of cybersecurity research. Security safeguard allocation, and AI-powered tools for anomaly detection. The first dissertation essay (Chapter 1) proposes a novel framework for the allocation of security countermeasures in the presence of uncertainty using robust optimization technique. The second dissertation essay (Chapter 2) studies the impact of algorithmic bias on the practice of insider threat detection in Electronic Health Record Systems and proposes a mitigations strategy. The final dissertation essay (Chapter 3) investigates how the biases of anomaly detection algorithms, and the characteristics of ensemble methods relate to the ensembles’ accuracy and …

Examining The Complexity Of Cross & Collaborative Selling And Service-Sales Ambidexterity In Multi-Practice Professional Service Firms, Eduardo A. Suarez-Solar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

What does it truly cost to acquire a new client? Managing Partners (MP) of Multi-Practice Professional Service Firms (MPPSF) have been asking themselves this question for years, mostly to no avail. The questions that should be deliberated are whether there exists an alternate method of acquiring new business in a more efficient, effective, and productive manner” and “whether such a procedure exists within the MPPSF that has not yet been fully developed? Neither of these questions can be determined until the following fundamental question is answered, namely whether and how does cross collaborative and service-sale ambidexterity sales occur within an …

Fragmented Hours: The Biography Of A Devotional Book Printed By Thielman Kerver, Stephanie R. Haas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the most richly illustrated and widely-owned texts of the late medieval and early modern eras, books of hours are essential to the study of art, religion, and the history of the book. Fragmented and damaged books, while perhaps less coveted, are of particular value to researchers for what they may reveal about their owners as well as the changing meanings of devotional texts and images over more than five centuries of use. This thesis explores the compelling biography of a damaged book of hours preserved in the University of Florida Library. The book has undergone such extensive alteration prior …

On The Performance Enhancement Of Beamspace Mimo And Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access For Future Cellular Networks, Sinasi Cetinkaya

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ever-growing demand for higher data rates and greater data capacity at lower cost has led the mobile cellular industry to investigate new physical layer techniques and possible utilization of unused spectrums at higher frequencies for next-generation cellular networks. Thus, exploitation of the millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum and non-orthogonal multiple-access (NOMA) have been envisioned as the most promising enablers in meeting capacity demand. Due to the smaller wavelengths offered in mmWave frequencies, it is possible to deploy many antennas into a relatively smaller physical space in mmWave frequencies. This property leads to a promising integration between mmWave and massive multiple-input multiple-output …

Predicting Groundwater Spring Locations From Topographic And Climatic Data Using Maxent Modeling, Ayten Ece Koc

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The World Resources Institute reveals that 17 countries face extremely high levels of water stress. Moreover, with increasing population and industrialization, the gap between water supply and demand increases day by day around the world. Groundwater is a key freshwater source, and springs are important resources as they enable to access groundwater. Therefore, it is crucial to monitor, protect, and manage groundwater springs. The first step in spring management is to recognize and define freshwater resources and to determine the locations of groundwater springs that serve as natural discharge points. Traditionally, field studies have been employed to determine the locations …

“They’Re Still Trying To Wrap Their Head Around Forever”: An Anatomy Of Hope For Spinal Cord Injury Patients, William A. Lucas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation draws on ethnographic data to investigate the nature of spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation in Central Florida, using participant observation and interview data to understand how people with SCI (pwSCI) conceptualize their own disabilities after experiencing such radical alterations in their subjectivities. Using case studies and ethnographic vignettes, it argues that the extreme double binds in which pwSCI find themselves (where they are personally ordinarily disabled and socially extraordinarily novel; and where they are enabled resources to pursue “hopeful” therapy modalities while being designated as hopelessly disabled) is further polarized by the various legislative regimes of truth in …

Transition To Higher Education In A College Assistance Migrant Program: Students’ Perception Of Purpose, Mark R. Lane-Holbert

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The 21st century world is increasingly globalized and interconnected, and migration is a reality that substantially impacts the US educational system, and often requires specialized services for migrant students to successfully transition to higher education. While higher education has many benefits, it also presents inherent risks and challenges for students from migrant families, whose academic and life experiences may be vastly different from traditional college students. Federal collegiate transition programs like the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) recognize this and aim to support students holistically throughout their transition to higher education. Such programs are in continual search of effective ways …

Multiple Access Techniques Enabling Diverse Wireless Services, Mehmet Mert Şahin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The growing interest in diverse wireless applications such as virtual reality (VR), digital twin, ultra-massive broadband communication (u-MBB) has led the cellular industry to look for new multiple accessing schemes and new signal processing techniques for utilization of next-generation wireless technologies. Throughout the PhD duration, different studies are performed in regards to dual-functional and interference robust multiple accessing and control of electromagnetic radiation for cognitive radio systems. Firstly, a novel concept on non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), which is the coexistence of different waveform structures in the same resource elements is proposed. Secondly, a novel JCR waveform is proposed to serve …

A Seismic Investigation Of Uturuncu Volcano And The Lazufre Volcanic Complex, Heather L. Mcfarlin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The following dissertation is a study of three seismological techniques used to determine the geophysical properties of two large, inflating magma bodies in the upper crust in South America: one under Uturuncu volcano and one beneath Lastarria and Cordon del Azufre volcanoes. First, I use the method of teleseismic receiver functions to image the top and bottom of the magma body beneath Uturuncu volcano. Depths to the top of this body vary between 6 and 12 km below sea level, while depths to the bottom vary between 13 and 22 km below sea level, with the thickness ranging from 6 …

Teaching Behavioral Contingencies To Young Children With Asd Using Contingency Mapping, Marqueline Cenatus

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often exhibit problem behavior in schools, which negatively impacts their educational outcomes. Unfortunately, teachers continue to have difficulty addressing problem behavior in the classroom. Contingency mapping is a visual representation of the contingencies for engaging in a desired and undesired behaviors, which has been found to improve student behavior in the classroom setting. The current study examined the use of the contingency mapping intervention for young children with ASD. Specifically, the study examined the extent to which the contingency mapping intervention result in a decrease of off-task behavior during natural classroom activities. Three young …

Development And Evaluation Of Interactive Computerized Training To Teach Practitioners To Implement Safety Skills Training, Rasha R. Baruni

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Children can experience unintentional injuries due to safety threats found in their environments (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008). Researchers have shown that children can be taught safety responses using behavioral skills training (BST) and in situ training (IST). Within the safety skills literature, there is evidence that manualized interventions are effective for teaching parents and teachers to deliver BST (Gross et al., 2007; Novotny et al., 2020). An approach that has not been evaluated for teaching safety skills is interactive computerized training (ICT). The ICT approach employs technology to deliver trainings in the absence of a trainer (Gerencser …

Pamam- Cyclodextrin Conjugate Upregulates Brain-Derived Neurotropic Factor In Arpe-19 Cells, Gopika Ashokan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a major contributor to death and disability due to motorvehicle accidents, sports, physical abuse, and battlefield injuries. The primary insult to the brain leads to inflammation, vascular dysfunction, and oxidative stress in the brain as well as in the eye. This leads to loss of Retinal Ganglion Cells (RGCs) and downregulation of Brain derived Neurotopic Factor (BDNF). BDNF is a neurotrophic factor that binds to Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase B (TrkB) receptor to promote cell growth, survival, and differentiation. Current treatment strategies do not promote neuronal regeneration. Therefore, novel treatments are needed to restore vision …

V2v And V2i Based Safety And Platooning Algorithms For Connected And Autonomous Vehicles, Omkar Dokur

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Connected Vehicles (CVs) make transportation safe by communicating with vehicles and the infrastructure in their neighborhood. CVs are embedded with onboard units (OBUs) which transmit basic safety messages (BSMs) containing the location, heading, and velocity information of the vehicle using either Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) or Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) technology. These BSMs can be used to warn drivers using various vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) applications. Along with these applications, CV technology also gives rise to cooperative vehicular driving applications such as platooning. A group of vehicles can negotiate and drive jointly close to each other in a cooperative manner …

Secure Reconfigurable Computing Paradigms For The Next Generation Of Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning Applications, Brooks Olney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have been popular tools for data analysis at the edge, particularly through complex deep and convolutional neural networks (DNNs/CNNs), which can learn to parameterize a function given a labeled dataset. Indeed, these technologies have enabled significant progress across a wide range of fields and are becoming ubiquitous. However, training the best model for an application and subsequently using them to evaluate data in real-time requires an immense amount of computational power. Typically, ``smart" sensors at the edge rely on the cloud to accelerate this computation due to power and compute …

Factors To Consider For Effective Implementation Of Aac With Students With Autism: Saudi Special Education Teachers’ Perspectives, Mazen Abdurhman Almethen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study aimed to explore the perceptions of Saudi special education teachers regarding teaching minimally verbal students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and factors facilitating the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system in their classroom. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five Saudi special education teachers. Teachers were from three schools at the General Directorate of Education in Unaizah, Saudi Arabia. The findings were analyzed by using thematic analysis. Findings revealed that Saudi special education teachers faced many challenges when teaching students with ASD who have minimal verbal abilities which includes expression difficulties, challenging behavior, and teacher-related challenges. …

Data-Driven Learning Algorithm Via Densely-Defined Multiplication Operators And Occupation Kernels., John Kyei

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Consider a nonautonomous nonlinear evolution $\dot{x}=f(x,t,\mu)$, where the vector $x(t) \in \mathbb{R}^n$ represents the state of the dynamical system at time $t$, $\mu$ contains system parameters, and $f(\cdot)$ represents a dynamic constraint. In most practical applications, the nonlinear dynamic constraint $f$ is unknown analytically. The problem of approximating $f$ directly from data measurements generated by the system is a main goal of this manuscript. In the postulates of the Nonlinear Autoregressive (NAR) framework, we show that the problem of approximating $f$ can be studied through symbols of densely defined multiplication operators over a Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces (RKHS). In this …

Considerations For Curricular Reform In Undergraduate Chemistry: Cooperative Adoption Factors, Modeling Social Influence, And Focusing On Specific Populations, Jacob D. Mcalpin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation will go through the details of three projects highlighting considerations for curricular reforms in undergraduate chemistry. Improving the teaching of chemistry is facilitated by considering the problem from multiple directions, namely, faculty and students. In addition to the multiple perspectives, this dissertation also seeks to bring new methodologies into the spotlight to improve the toolbox for other chemistry or discipline-based education researchers. Additionally, this dissertation has shown in several locations how focusing in on subgroups within populations can reveal findings that would not have been apparent from a global average of the population. The three project describes in …

Training Parents Via Telehealth To Teach Manding To Children With Asd To Replace Problem Behavior, Sukarah Almulhim

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study assessed the effectiveness of using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) for parent training to implement functional behavior training and video modeling via a telehealth platform designed to increase manding abilities and to decrease problem behaviors with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). With eight participants, this study used a multiple-baseline design across subjects (four parents and four children with ASD). The research was divided into three phases: parent training, baseline, and intervention. BST was administered remotely from the United States through synchronous video conferencing with families in different countries in the Middle East. All parents were able to learn …

Chasing A Moving Target: Examining Shifts In Elementary Teachers' Language And Conceptions Of Digital Literacy During Professional Learning, Stephanie M. Branson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emerging and transforming innovations carry with them new ways of conceptualizing literacy practices in the classroom. As the technology revolution forges ahead and permeates the elementary school setting, teachers must consider how they talk about and model digital literacy practices. Digital literacy goes beyond merely operating technology tools and devices. It includes the cognitive and social processes that take place when reading, writing, and communicating in digital spaces and with digital tools. To understand the integration of digital literacies into the classroom, we must better understand how teachers develop digital literacy competencies and dispositions through focused and intentional professional learning …

Turmoil In The Workforce: Introduction Of The Nomadic Employee, Catrina Hopkins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study is designed to define a “nomadic employee,” a figure who has emerged in the ever-changing labor force, and to define what drives these workers to move between companies within a short period of time (generally within a 12-month period). These nomadic employees are driving higher turnover rates and causing rising onboarding costs. Relationships between employees and their employers have changed drastically in recent decades. Business concepts have evolved, and, thus, so have employee motivations. With the introduction of the millennial generation into the workforce and the emergence of the technology revolution, workforces have transformed, again establishing the …

Attention-Grabbing Tactics On Social Media, Arjun Kadian

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

News posts are popular among social media users. Since news reading is critical for both social media platforms and news providers, the use of attention-grabbing tactics, such as hyperbole and expressed emotional arousal, is commonplace to increase news readership. However, there is scant empirical evidence to explain the impact of attention-grabbing tactics on social media users’ reading intentions and behavior in social media. Therefore, I first explore how and why the use of hyperbolic statements in news headlines influences users’ interest and intention to read the news. Drawing on expectation violation theory, I propose competing hypotheses. I conducted three experiments …

Rational Functions Of Degree Five That Permute The Projective Line Over A Finite Field, Christopher Sze

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rational functions over a finite field Fq induce mappings from the projective line P1(Fq) to itself. Rational functions that permute the projective line are called permutation rational functions (PRs). The notion of permutation rational functions is a natural extension of the permutation polynomials which have been studied for over a century. Recently, PRs of degrees up to four have been determined. This dissertation is a project aimed at determining PRs of degree five.

Rational functions of degree five (excluding those that are equivalent to polynomials) are divided into five cases according to the factorization of their denominators. Our main results …

Intimate Conversations: A Mixed-Methods Study Of African American Father-Adolescent Sexual Risk Communication, Shanda A. Vereen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Approximately 50% of African American (AA) high school students are sexually active and a large proportion of sexually active AA students report engaging in sexual risk behaviors such as not using condoms at last intercourse. Consequently, AA adolescents in the United States experience outcomes of risky sexual behaviors at high rates. Evidence shows parents have an effect on shaping adolescent attitudes, values, and beliefs regarding sex through sexual risk communication (SRC). Although parent-adolescent SRC is associated with reductions in sexual risk behaviors among AA adolescents, research has primarily focused on mothers. While parents acknowledge that SRC is traditionally viewed …

Prepare For, Respond To, Recover, And Learn From Disasters: Using Data-Driven Methods To Model And Understand Disaster Resilience, Jinwen Xu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Community resilience reflects the ability of human communities to prepare for, respond to, recover, and learn from disastrous events. Community resilience carries different meanings in different phases of disaster management (i.e., preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation). With the emergence of new geospatial data sources, human activities now can be captured through social media, mobile signals, and nighttime illuminations, which makes it possible to describe the conditions among various communities before, during, and after disasters. Therefore, this dissertation explored the use of different types of geospatial data sources (social media, nighttime light remote sensing, land-use data, and census survey data) during …

Exploring Time-Varying Extraneous Variables Effects In Single-Case Studies, Ke Cheng

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The effect of time-varying extraneous variables has been studied in other statistical analyses such as using Kaplan–Meier or Cox regression analysis in survival analyses. Nonetheless, the effect of modeling versus not modeling individual specific time varying extraneous variables has not been explored in multiple-baseline single case designs through Monte Carlo simulation studies. Therefore, in my dissertation, I used simulation methods to explore for a variety of conditions (varying in the number of participants, number of observations per participant, type of extraneous variable effect, size of the true intervention effect) the impact of extraneous variables on bias and standard error of …

Proud And Mischievous Designs: Elizabethan Propaganda Of The Dutch Revolt, Michael Swierczynski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the late sixteenth century, England’s political culture was engaged in a heated debate over that kingdom’s participation in the Dutch Revolt. Across the Channel, predominantly Protestant Dutch rebels had risen up in revolt against their Catholic overlord, King Philip II of Spain. The English people, linked to the Dutch by longstanding cultural, economic, and religious ties, largely sympathized with the rebels. Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester and, after his death, his stepson, Robert Deveraux, Earl of Essex, sponsored extensive campaigns of print propaganda to influence their fellow subjects to support an active English military intervention in the Revolt. They …