Digital Commons Network^™

Increasing Nurses’ Knowledge Of Cultural Preferences Influencing Diabetes Self-Management Among Sierra Leoneans, Winstina Aminata Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The practice problem identified at the project site was the lack of nurses’ knowledge of how cultural preferences influence diabetes self-management practices among African Americans with diabetes mellitus. An educational program focused on the cultural preferences of Sierra Leoneans that influence diabetes self-management practices was provided for 48 nurses who worked in the agency. The doctoral project included concepts from nursing education and cultural competence theories to inform the approach. The project followed the ADDIE model process steps to develop and implement the educational program. The sources of evidence included pre- and posteducation surveys administered to participating nurses to assess …

Increasing Nurses’ Knowledge Of Cultural Preferences Influencing Diabetes Self-Management Among Sierra Leoneans, Winstina Aminata Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The practice problem identified at the project site was the lack of nurses’ knowledge of how cultural preferences influence diabetes self-management practices among African Americans with diabetes mellitus. An educational program focused on the cultural preferences of Sierra Leoneans that influence diabetes self-management practices was provided for 48 nurses who worked in the agency. The doctoral project included concepts from nursing education and cultural competence theories to inform the approach. The project followed the ADDIE model process steps to develop and implement the educational program. The sources of evidence included pre- and posteducation surveys administered to participating nurses to assess …

Design And Characterization Of 3d-Printed Hydrogel Lattices With Consistent Structural And Mechanical Anisotropy, Daniel Yoon

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores the use of 3D printing to fabricate soft hydrogel lattice structures with consistent properties, including varying levels of mechanical anisotropy. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a non-invasive imaging tool to estimate and characterize the mechanical properties of tissue. MRE “phantoms” (physical surrogate models) have been used to assess how well MRE can measure and estimate mechanical properties. While gel phantoms generally simulate brain tissue, almost all have been isotropic. Prior studies have shown that white matter brain tissue is structurally and mechanically anisotropic. To validate anisotropic MRE, phantoms with controllable, reproducible anisotropic material properties are needed. This …

Making A Difference: Culturally And Ethnically Appropriate Guides For Those Working With People With Dementia, Meredith Troutman-Jordan, Boyd Davis, Margaret Maclagan

Sigma Foundation for Nursing Research Grant Reports

The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness, feasibility, and acceptability of language, culture-and ethnicity-specific caregiver resource guides to help immigrant nurses and unlicensed assistive personnel or nursing assistants working with persons with dementia.

Investigation Of Self-Assembly Of Hen Egg White Lysozyme Fibrils, Nabila Bushra

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Amyloid proteins are a large group of proteins that tend to aggregate and form insoluble fibrils with a characteristic cross-β sheet structure. Intriguingly, this process of “amyloid formation” has been simultaneously linked to devastating human diseases called amyloidoses, ranging from Alzheimer’s Disease, cardiac amyloidoses to type II diabetes, as well as functional biological responses such as hormone storage and sperm quality control. Amyloid fibrils have also attracted significant attention for their unique mechanical, chemical, and optical characteristics, establishing them as promising tough biomaterials. The urgent need to find treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, and the demand for safe and renewable biomaterials …

Tracing The Digital Plant Humanities: Narratives Of Botanical Life And Human-Flora Relations, Paul Longley Arthur, John Charles Ryan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In this paper, we trace the emergence of what we term the digital plant humanities (DPH) as an evolution of burgeoning botanical interest among environmental and digital humanists. We argue that DPH coalesces the theoretical and methodological frameworks of the three research areas of plant humanities, environmental humanities, and digital humanities. After conceptualising DPH, we analyse three projects representative of the emergent field—the Native American Ethnobotany Database; Herbaria 3.0; and Microcosms: A Homage to Sacred Plants of America—while referring to a broader range of formative projects including the Plant Humanities Lab.

A Country-Level Primary-Final-Useful (Cl-Pfu) Energy And Exergy Database: Overview Of Its Construction And 1971–2020 World-Level Efficiency Results, Paul E. Brockway, Matthew Kuperus Heun, Zeke Marshall, Emmanuel Aramendia, Paul Steenwyk, Thomas Relph, Michelle Widjanarko, Jeonghoo (James) Kim, Anjana Sainju, Julian Irtube

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Societal exergy analysis examines the flows of energy and exergy through societies, from primary (e.g. oil) to final (e.g. gasoline) to useful (e.g. propulsion) energy stages. By extending the study of energy to the useful stage, new insights into the under-represented role of energy in economic growth have been made. However, currently (a) country coverage is patchy and incomplete, (b) available data are based on varying methods and assumptions including efficiencies based on economic rather than engineering data, and (c) datasets are constructed using piecemeal computational approaches. To address these gaps, we construct a country-level primary-final-useful (CL-PFU) energy and exergy …

Business Innovation As A Force For Good: From Doing Less Harm To Positive Impact Type 1 And Type 2, Chris Laszlo, David Cooperrider, Ronald Fry

Faculty Scholarship

Commitments of “getting to zero” or becoming a regenerative company are raising investor, customer, and employee expectations at a time when businesses are struggling just to reduce negative impacts. Executives are increasingly caught between wanting to build a better world and the reality of managing value-add activities that continue to harm people and the environment. Businesses need to distinguish between three types of innovation impacts to maintain their credibility and legitimacy. The first is doing less harm, where the goal is to minimize social wrongs and reduce ecological footprints. The second is incremental positive impact, where the goal is to …

A Country-Level Primary-Final-Useful (Cl-Pfu) Energy And Exergy Database: Overview Of Its Construction And 1971–2020 World-Level Efficiency Results, Paul E. Brockway, Matthew Kuperus Heun, Zeke Marshall, Emmanuel Aramendia, Paul Steenwyk, Thomas Relph, Michelle Widjanarko, Jeonghoo (James) Kim, Anjana Sainju, Julian Irtube

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Societal exergy analysis examines the flows of energy and exergy through societies, from primary (e.g. oil) to final (e.g. gasoline) to useful (e.g. propulsion) energy stages. By extending the study of energy to the useful stage, new insights into the under-represented role of energy in economic growth have been made. However, currently (a) country coverage is patchy and incomplete, (b) available data are based on varying methods and assumptions including efficiencies based on economic rather than engineering data, and (c) datasets are constructed using piecemeal computational approaches. To address these gaps, we construct a country-level primary-final-useful (CL-PFU) energy and exergy …

Structural Characterization Of Ligand Binding And Ph-Specific Enzymatic Activity Of Mouse Acidic Mammalian Chitinase, Roberto Efraín Díaz, Andrew K Ecker, Galen J Correy, Pooja Asthana, Iris D Young, Bryan Faust, Michael C Thompson, Ian B Seiple, Steven Van Dyken, Richard M Locksley, James S Fraser

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Chitin is an abundant biopolymer and pathogen-associated molecular pattern that stimulates a host innate immune response. Mammals express chitin-binding and chitin-degrading proteins to remove chitin from the body. One of these proteins, Acidic Mammalian Chitinase (AMCase), is an enzyme known for its ability to function under acidic conditions in the stomach but is also active in tissues with more neutral pHs, such as the lung. Here, we used a combination of biochemical, structural, and computational modeling approaches to examine how the mouse homolog (mAMCase) can act in both acidic and neutral environments. We measured kinetic properties of mAMCase activity across …

Digital Barter Taxes: A Legal Defense, Young Ran (Christine) Kim, Darien Shanske

Articles

This short essay, aimed at state legislators, defends digital barter taxes from the most common legal objections.

Cancer-Associated Histone H3 N-Terminal Arginine Mutations Disrupt Prc2 Activity And Impair Differentiation, Benjamin A Nacev, Benjamin A Garcia, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Dysregulated epigenetic states are a hallmark of cancer and often arise from genetic alterations in epigenetic regulators. This includes missense mutations in histones, which, together with associated DNA, form nucleosome core particles. However, the oncogenic mechanisms of most histone mutations are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that cancer-associated histone mutations at arginines in the histone H3 N-terminal tail disrupt repressive chromatin domains, alter gene regulation, and dysregulate differentiation. We find that histone H3R2C and R26C mutants reduce transcriptionally repressive H3K27me3. While H3K27me3 depletion in cells expressing these mutants is exclusively observed on the minor fraction of histone tails harboring the mutations, …

Mitigating Toxic Metal Exposure Through Leafy Greens: A Comprehensive Review Contrasting Cadmium And Lead In Spinach, Angelia L. Seyfferth, Matthew A. Limmer, Benjamin R. Runkle, Rufus L. Chaney

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Metals and metalloids (hereafter, metal(loid)s) in plant-based foods are a source of exposure to humans, but not all metal(loid)-food interactions are the same. Differences exist between metal(loid)s in terms of their behavior in soils and in how they are taken up by plants and stored in the edible plant tissue/food. Thus, there cannot be one consistent solution to reducing toxic metal(loid)s exposure to humans from foods. In addition, how metal(loid)s are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted by the human body differs based on both the metal(loid), other elements and nutrients in the food, and the nutritional status of the human. …

Efficacy And Safety Of Esmethadone (Rel-1017) In Patients With Major Depressive Disorder And Inadequate Response To Standard Antidepressants: A Phase 3 Randomized Controlled Trial, Maurizio Fava, Stephen M Stahl, Luca Pani, Sara De Martin, Andrew J Cutler, Vladimir Maletic, Charles W Gorodetzky, Frank J Vocci, Frank L Sapienza, Thomas R Kosten, Cornelia Kröger, Paggard Champasa, Cedric O'Gorman, Clotilde Guidetti, Andrea Alimonti, Stefano Comai, Andrea Mattarei, Franco Folli, David Bushnell, Sergio Traversa, Charles E Inturrisi, Paolo L Manfredi, Marco Pappagallo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

The Dialectics Of Faith: Kierkegaard, Irony, And Conversion, Douglas Zimmerman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Kierkegaard, the 19th-century Danish philosopher, offers a profound perspective on conversion. According to him, conversion isn't a mere external change, but a deeply personal and internal transformation. It's about moving from a state of despair to faith. Kierkegaard believed that true conversion involves a passionate leap of faith, where an individual confronts their own subjectivity and makes a conscious, often paradoxical, choice to align themselves with their authentic values and spiritual beliefs. In his view, conversion is a constant process, requiring introspection, struggle, and a commitment to live authentically in the face of life's uncertainties. In order to communicate this …

The Relationship Between Communicative And Social Deficits And Challenging Behavior In Angelman Syndrome, Cassie Chanel Feck

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Angelman Syndrome (AS) is a low-incidence neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in speech, motor, and social development as well as related differences in challenging behavior, seizures, and sleep issues. AS has a known genetic etiology and research conducted with this population has overwhelmingly focused on exploring the genetic and biological underpinnings of the disorder (e.g., applied gene therapies). At present, far less research on supporting the social, communicative, and behavioral needs of this population and how these specific deficits contribute to the individual’s overall functioning. The goals of this study were to characterize the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication …

Maldi Imaging Mass Spectrometry Visualizes The Distribution Of Antidepressant Duloxetine And Its Major Metabolites In Mouse Brain, Liver, Kidney, And Spleen Tissues, Saleh M Khalil, Xuan Qin, John M Hakenjos, Jian Wang, Zhaoyong Hu, Xinli Liu, Jin Wang, Mirjana Maletic-Savatic, Kevin R Mackenzie, Martin M Matzuk, Feng Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) is a powerful tool for mapping the spatial distribution of unlabeled drugs and metabolites that may find application in assessing drug delivery, explaining drug efficacy, and identifying potential toxicity. This study focuses on determining the spatial distribution of the antidepressant duloxetine, which is widely prescribed despite common adverse effects (liver injury, constant headaches) whose mechanisms are not fully understood. We used high-resolution IMS with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization to examine the distribution of duloxetine and its major metabolites in four mouse organs where it may contribute to efficacy or toxicity: brain, liver, kidney, and spleen. In none …

The Ifitm5 Mutation In Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type V Is Associated With An Erk/Sox9-Dependent Osteoprogenitor Differentiation Defect, Ronit Marom, I-Wen Song, Emily C Busse, Megan E Washington, Ava S Berrier, Vittoria C Rossi, Laura Ortinau, Youngjae Jeong, Ming-Ming Jiang, Brian C Dawson, Mary Adeyeye, Carolina Leynes, Caressa D Lietman, Bridget M Stroup, Dominyka Batkovskyte, Mahim Jain, Yuqing Chen, Racel Cela, Alexis Castellon, Alyssa A Tran, Isabel Lorenzo, D Nicole Meyers, Shixia Huang, Alicia Turner, Vinitha Shenava, Maegen Wallace, Eric Orwoll, Dongsu Park, Catherine G Ambrose, Sandesh Cs Nagamani, Jason D Heaney, Brendan H Lee

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) type V is the second most common form of OI, distinguished by hyperplastic callus formation and calcification of the interosseous membranes, in addition to the bone fragility. It is caused by a recurrent, dominant pathogenic variant (c.-14C>T) in interferon-induced transmembrane protein 5 (IFITM5). Here, we generated a conditional Rosa26-knockin mouse model to study the mechanistic consequences of the recurrent mutation. Expression of the mutant Ifitm5 in osteo-chondroprogenitor or chondrogenic cells resulted in low bone mass and growth retardation. Mutant limbs showed impaired endochondral ossification, cartilage overgrowth, and abnormal growth plate architecture. The cartilage phenotype correlates with …

Naturalistic Driving Action Recognition, Andy Xiao, Antonio Fontan

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

Driving is one of the most tasks people do day to day to get to places more efficiently, but with many people using the road every day, distracted driving can be a big problem. Grothlaw firm states that in the recent years, at least 9 out of 3287 deaths related to auto accidents per day are caused by distracted driving [1]. Distracted driving refers to things that drivers do that are not related to driving [2] This can include texting, eating, talking to passengers, tuning the radios, etc... that can get the driver’s attention away from the road [2]. Many …

Ar Storybook, Priya Jain, Jessica Torres, Melody Trinh

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

Parents often use technology as a digital pacifier or source of entertainment for their children. While excessive screen time for children can be harmful, a digital future seems inevitable. As technology becomes more prominent in everyday life, children should utilize their early years to engage with technology in a way that develops their growing minds. AR Storybook is an interactive storybook that strives to provide children with an active learning experience. The story teaches children computational thinking skills through augmented reality activities embedded into the plot. The activities ask the user to help a character complete a task by using …

The Psychological Risks Of War Between The United States And China, Eugen Koh

New England Journal of Public Policy

The relationship between the United States and China has deteriorated over the past two decades and fears of escalating risks of war are regularly reported in global media. This article explores the psychological factors that contribute to the two superpowers shifting from a collaborative relationship to a competitive relationship, seeing each other as enemies, feeling increasingly threatened by each other, failing to consider the heightened sensitivities that arise from their respective traumatic pasts, triggering the collapse of thinking and unleashing of uncontainable emotionality, escalating accidents to conflict, and escalating conflict to war. It highlights the dangers of ignoring heightened trauma-related …

Removal As A Control Method For Trachemys Scripta Elegans And The Response Of Chrysemys Picta Bellii, Jacob Swanson

University Honors Theses

The red-eared slider is considered one of the most ubiquitous freshwater turtles globally. Several key ecological advantages and life history traits of this species jointly impact growth rates and survivorship of native freshwater turtles where sympatry occurs. Evaluation of current management actions for red-eared slider turtles is limited, resulting in a paucity of information to guide management for the species and conservation of declining native freshwater turtles. We used previously collected mark-recapture and removal sampling data from sites with sympatric populations of red-eared slider and western painted turtles. We examined the effects of control (trapping and removal) of red-eared sliders …

Flattening Morrison's Beloved: The Limits Of Psychoanalysis In Literary Criticism, A Literature Review, Isaac Vanhook

University Honors Theses

Toni Morrison's Beloved was first published in 1987 and has amassed a wide range of scholarship throughout the years; with some literary scholars using psychoanalysis to suggest a reading of Beloved. Because of the volume of scholarship and Beloved's plot--dealing with a mother who represses the memory of killing her daughter, Beloved--I found it to be perfect for the scope of this project. This literature review focuses on the sometimes reductive qualities of psychoanalyzing Beloved (such as the Freudian universal psychoanalytic subject, and the 'drawbacks' of object relations theory), while also discussing some revelatory qualities via the same …

Biofeedback Gaming For Substance Use Disorder, Rebecca L. Chevrel

University Honors Theses

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and stress are often predictive of one another, bidirectionally causal, and mutually intensifying. This thesis describes the bi-directional connection between physiological stress-modulating systems and Substance Use Disorder, and explores some emerging biofeedback stress-reduction gaming technology as a potential adjunct to recovery treatments. Improving autonomic balance, often described by Heart Rate Variability, has been shown to be beneficial for physical and psychological recovery, as well as improving self-control. For this reason, regular biofeedback for stress relief could be helpful in augmenting SUD treatment and preventing relapse. This exploration found that presenting it through a gaming lens may …

Mixed Uncertainty Analysis On Pumping By Peristaltic Hearts Using Dempster-Shafer Theory, Yanyan He, Nicholas A. Battista, Lindsay D. Waldrop

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

In this paper, we introduce the numerical strategy for mixed uncertainty propagation based on probability and Dempster–Shafer theories, and apply it to the computational model of peristalsis in a heart-pumping system. Specifically, the stochastic uncertainty in the system is represented with random variables while epistemic uncertainty is represented using non-probabilistic uncertain variables with belief functions. The mixed uncertainty is propagated through the system, resulting in the uncertainty in the chosen quantities of interest (QoI, such as flow volume, cost of transport and work). With the introduced numerical method, the uncertainty in the statistics of QoIs will be represented using belief …

The Forgotten Forests: Incorporating Temperate Peat-Forming Wet Woodlands As Nature-Based Solutions Into Policy And Practice, Alice M. Milner, Andy J. Baird, Scott J. Davidson, Emily R. Lines, Dan Abrahams, Crystal A.E. Ahiable, Nadia Barsoum, Marion Bryant, Emma Dear, Iain Diack, Emma Duley, Adam Noach, Thomas P. Roland, David Smedley

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Peat-forming wet woodlands (forested wetlands) are naturally occurring carbon-dense ecosystems that have considerable potential to form an important part of net zero woodland establishment and peatland strategies, as well as provide crucial co-benefits to restore biodiversity and regulate hydrological systems. Despite their potential, temperate peat-forming wet woodlands have been widely lost, are critically understudied and are being overlooked in land-use strategies. Unlike temperate ‘dry’ woodlands, some wet woodlands are peat forming and can store large amounts of carbon below-ground in peat in addition to the carbon in the tree biomass. The complex structure of these peat-forming wet woodlands creates high …

Exhibiting The Museum: Interrogating Spaces Of Institutional Knowledge Production Through Interactive Print Design, Malcolm Church

University Honors Theses

This thesis explores the role of museums as active agents in the production of cultural and historical knowledge, focusing on the ethical implications of exhibition design and institutional practices. By examining the history of museums from ancient Greece to the modern era, with a focus on the Modern era, the research highlights how these institutions have perpetuated Eurocentric narratives and colonial ideologies through the collection and display of artifacts. Through interviews, participant observations, and historical analysis, this study uncovers the often-hidden decisions behind exhibition design and their impact on public perception. The culmination of this research is an interactive print …

Modern Trail Of Tears: The Commodification Of First Foods And Medicines In Relation To Food Apartheid And Genocide Of Indigenous Peoples, Darius Mani Yaw

University Honors Theses

I am asking you to share in a cultural conversation with me. I will use different fonts in order to express my autobiographical and ethnographic Indigenous story separate from traditional academic writing This will not be a traditional thesis by any means of academic writing; this will also be a living document in a format of a cited reflection in order to continue the conversation not only through my Indigenous Research but also through community, and ideally will create everlasting solutions. However, this will be an introduction into my Indigenous writing and Indigenous voice.

I will be discussing the next …

Prochlorococcus Death By A Ubiquitous Zooplankton Filter Feeder, Avery Harman

University Honors Theses

Prochlorococcus is a globally abundant cyanobacterium that can help reveal the ecology of microorganisms in the ocean. Specifically, mortality by zooplankton such as appendicularians is globally important and Prochlorococcus can help reveal some of the choices made around feeding for this ubiquitous filter feeder. Two ecotypes of Prochlorococcus were introduced to appendicularians to determine if appendicularian feed selectively between these ecotypes. Further, a single ecotype of Prochlorococcus was fed to appendicularians over a variety of life stages to determine if retention rate changed with appendicularian life stage. My results reveal that there is no significant selection between the two Prochlorococcus …

Evaluation Of Sleep Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury In Children Using Questionnaires And Actigraphy, Connie Tran

University Honors Theses

Traumatic brain injuries are the result of a sudden external blunt force to the brain and can result in long-term complications or death. In pediatrics, it is the leading cause of acute and chronic sleep-wake disturbances, as well as cognitive deficits, which can lead to a reduction in the quality of life for these children. These impairments can later result in lowered performance in work and school settings or decreased psychosocial function. Currently, there is a need to determine the relationship between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and sleep. There is a need for more research on whether or not sleep-wake …