Osteopathic Graduates In Plastic Surgery: How Can We Improve The Pipeline?, Kristof S. Gutowski, Irene Yau, Ariel E. Figueroa, Alice Yau, Marina A. Lentskevich, Kristyn N. Kraus, Jordan E. Wiebe, Gregory A. Greco, Arun K. Gosain

Student Publications

Background: Integrated plastic surgery residency is one of the most competitive specialties for medical students to match into. This study was performed to identify trends in osteopathic applicants to plastic surgery and current osteopathic trainees within the field. Furthermore, we explore osteopathic students’ perception of plastic surgery and identify methods that our national societies can utilize to foster exposure to the field.

Methods: All integrated and independent plastic surgery training programs were identified from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Trainees’ medical education was obtained via program websites and public profiles. An anonymous survey was distributed to Student Affairs …

Heightened Risk: Childhood Trauma And Anticipatory Grief Exacerbate The Impact Of Loneliness On Depressive Symptoms And Lps-Stimulated Cytokines In Dementia Caregivers, Kelly N. Brice, Jensine Paoletti-Hatcher, E Lydia Wu-Chung, Vincent D. Lai, Daniel L. Argueta, Michelle A. Chen, Itee Mahant, Bryan T. Denny, Charles Green, Luis D. Medina, Multiple Additional Authors

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dementia spousal caregivers are at a disproportionate risk for adverse mental and physical health outcomes. Loneliness is associated with depressive symptoms and proinflammatory cytokine production among caregivers. Additionally, childhood trauma, anticipatory grief, and poor sleep quality are all associated with enhanced stress reactivity. This study used a cross-sectional design to investigate whether loneliness is associated with proinflammatory cytokine production and depressive symptoms in caregivers, and whether these relationships are strongest among caregivers who report high levels of childhood trauma, high amounts of anticipatory grief, or poor sleep quality. A sample of 111 dementia spousal caregivers provided blood samples and completed …

Examining Family Accommodation In Early Childhood, Allison Smith Dupre

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The relationship between parent and child anxiety is well established. One factor that may account for this relationship is family accommodation (how family members alter their behavior to alleviate child distress). Family accommodation has been studied in child anxiety for the past decade and has been linked to increased parent and child anxiety. However, little research has focused on a young sample without clinical elevations of anxiety. Acknowledging the impact of family accommodation on child anxiety, the strong link between parent anxiety and accommodation, and the importance of early intervention, this study aimed to expand the literature of family accommodation …

Do Emotion Malleability Beliefs Buffer Social Ostracism? An Experimental Investigation, Bingjie Tong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Social ostracism is linked to adverse psychological outcomes, including increased suicide risk among college students. This study examined a manipulation targeting emotion malleability beliefs and its effect on psychological outcomes after a lab-induced social ostracism task (Cyberball). Psychache, a well-established predictor for suicide risk, was examined as a potential moderator variable. College students (N = 243) were randomly assigned to either an experimental condition, which presented information stating that emotions are malleable, or a neutral control condition. Participants in the experimental condition reported a greater increase in beliefs about emotional malleability, greater use of cognitive reappraisal, and less perceived burdensomeness …

Quantifying Wellbore Effects During Co2 Sequestration In A Saline Aquifer, Uzoma Johnpaul Ajugwe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a strategy for mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from large stationary sources like fossil-fuel-fired power stations. One method of CCS involves carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration in deep saline aquifers, where supercritical CO2 is injected into an aquifer. The success of such projects depends on accurate predictions of CO2 behavior within the subsurface, which are obtained through numerical simulations.

TOUGHREACT, a renowned simulation tool, models subsurface fluid flow, geochemical interactions, and solute transport, providing insights into the feasibility of CO2 sequestration projects. A critical aspect of these simulations is the apportioning of …

Reparative Cuteness: Summer Camp Island’S Obfuscated Streaming Distribution Reveals Our Dependence On Monetary Care, James R. Hanjian

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Summer Camp Island exhibits the culmination of the animation styles and ethics of dependent care produced within contemporary Cartoon Network animations. As part of the production cycle of Warner Bros. animated television programs following Adventure Time, Julia Pott’s animated program depicts networks of collaborative care informed by the lived realities of the creator-animators. By employing a reparative reading of the narratives and cute aesthetics which appear in the program, I maintain that the care networks presented within the diegesis of Summer Camp Island depict alternatives to the precarious economic and industrial realities that actively shaped the show’s production and distribution. …

Nepaliness As Assemblage: Diasporic Belonging, Colorism, And Caste In The Associational Life Of Nepali Migrants In Florida, Shuvechha Ghimire Sharma

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The research fundamentally challenges romanticized ideas of migration—shedding older inequalities, idealizing “leveling up,” and being a part of “unified diasporic communities”—and unmasks a rather uneasy, far more intricate reality: the preexisting sociocultural and political structures and identities are not shed, rather actively reproduced and rigorously, often consciously, reconfigured within the transnational diasporic spaces. As such, the research reveals that Nepali diasporic associations in Florida play a vital role in perpetuating and reshaping social inequalities and contested national identities, significantly impacting transnational dynamics. The work contends that caste hierarchies persist in structuring associational life, influencing participation and resource distribution. Concurrently, colorism …

Ai-Enabled System For Efficient Data Storage, Debdeep Bandyopadhyay, Alok Roy, Prajna Shetty

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for efficiently storing data based on reinforcement learning and actor-critic models. An agent, comprising a “chunking actor” and a “redundancy critic” can segment various types of computer files into “dynamic segments” and “redundant segments” and store those segments in a dynamic datastore and a redundant datastore respectively. In general terms, redundant segments can comprise segments of files that exist “redundantly” among multiple files stored by the system, such as header information. Dynamic data segments can comprise data segments that are unique or generally unique to their respective files. By identifying redundant data …

Semantic Speed-Up Of Audio And Video, Duc-Hieu Tran, Florian Hartmann

Defensive Publications Series

Speeding up video playback without taking into account the semantic context can result in degradation of audio and motion quality. This disclosure describes techniques that optimize audio and video playback by semantically analyzing content to selectively skip irrelevant segments. Audio and/or video content is segmented into temporal chunks, classified based on contextual importance using machine learning models, and adjusted according to a target playback speed. Content is smoothed for continuity and sped up at lower compression factors to maintain quality. Optionally, skipped but contextually significant segments are replaced with annotations or visual cues to preserve semantic coherence. The described techniques …

Ipepas Inclusive Aquatics Practical For Practitioners, Eileen Sayers

International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity and International Symposium on Physical Activity and Visual Impairment and Deafblindness

Abstract ISAPA 2025

Title: IPEPAS Inclusive Aquatics Practical for Practitioners

According to the World Health Organisation there are currently 1.3 billion people with disabilities in the world. The Irish Sports Monitor report in 2023 found that aquatics was one of the most popular physical activities for people with disabilities. The purpose of this practical/CPD is to provide education and training skills to teachers, coaches, tutors, aqua professionals, paraprofessionals and volunteers. It will offer attendees practical tools and knowledge they can apply in their own work, creating new opportunities for them to thrive in their work as inclusive aquatics practitioners. It …

Thirty-Six Additions To The Verifiable Exotic Avifauna Of Florida, Bill Pranty

Florida Field Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Thirty-First Report Of The Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee: 2022-2023, Andrew Kratter

Florida Field Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Lntercultural Communication

Communication Research Trends

The 1950s novel, The Ugly American, symbolized the mentality that generated the study of intercultural communication. The 'uglies' were the 'beautiful people' of the embassy set who made no effort to learn the language or culture and barely concealed their disdain for the 'locals' in rare excursions outside the golden ghetto of transplanted Western culture. The hero, a homely agronomist, went out among the peasants of Southeast Asia, gradually immersed himself in their culture and found he had much to learn from them. He alone communicated.

In the centuries of colonialism there have long been 'ugly imperialists', but the national …

Generative Artificial Intelligence In Hospitality And Tourism Marketing: Exploring Perceptions, Risks, And Benefits From A Managerial Standpoint, Faizan Ali, Usman Khan, Kashif Ali Khan

ICHRIE Research Reports

The rapid adoption of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) is transforming hospitality and tourism marketing, offering both opportunities and challenges for industry professionals. This study explores the integration of GAI in the U.S. hospitality sector, focusing on its ethical, operational, and strategic implications. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining qualitative insights from 20 industry professionals with quantitative data from 163 participants. The findings reveal a dual perspective: while GAI enhances personalization, customer engagement, and operational efficiency, concerns remain regarding data privacy, customer trust, and ethical considerations. Despite these challenges, the high level of familiarity with GAI among participants suggests its growing …

Ai Avatars In Hospitality Employee Training: Transforming Learning Through Innovation, Eulanda A. Sanders, Nikol K. Lopez Llantuy, Li Jiang

ICHRIE Research Reports

The hospitality industry faces challenges in delivering consistent, engaging, and scalable training. Traditional training often fails to address cost, efficiency, and learner engagement. Organizations are turning to technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance employee development, including AI-driven avatars. Drawing on recent literature in microlearning, avatar-mediated education, and technological adoption models, this study examines the potential of AI avatars to personalize instruction, enhance accessibility, reduce costs, and enhance learning outcomes. Content analysis of fifteen YouTube videos reveals ten themes associated with the use of AI avatars in real-world hospitality settings. The report includes implementation guidelines for integrating AI avatars into …

Detecting Fraud, But At What Cost? Applications Of Fraud Detection Algorithms: The Good, The Bad, And What To Watch Out For, Mona Birjandi

Tennessee Journal of Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Fair Or Unfair? Customer Reactions To Restaurant Pricing And Disclosure, Hyun-Woo (David) Joung, Hayeon (Hailey) Choi, Eun-Kyong (Cindy) Choi

ICHRIE Research Reports

Amid rising inflation and operating cost pressure, this study investigates how restaurant pricing strategies—a 5% surcharge versus a 5% menu price increase—and prior disclosure affect customers' perceptions of price fairness and transparency. Utilizing a 2 (pricing strategy: surcharge vs. price increase) × 2 (disclosure: presence vs. absence) experimental design, 193 responses were collected via a scenario-based survey. Results revealed that customers perceive a 5% price increase as significantly fairer and more transparent than a surcharge. While prior disclosure signage did not significantly influence perceptions of fairness, it marginally improved transparency, especially with the surcharge strategy. These findings suggest that restaurants …

The Common Law And Sec Rule 10b-5(B): Narrowing The Securities "Fraud" Exception To The First Amendment, Matthew Lambertson

Florida Law Review

Courts have read Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and regulations promulgated thereunder as requiring less than every element of common law fraud. In particular, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Rule 10b-5(b), which prohibits merely false or misleading statements about securities, often proscribes and deters speech that does not constitute common law fraud. Namely, in prosecuting a Rule 10b-5(b) claim, the SEC currently does not need to prove reliance, causation, and harm—three essential elements of common law fraud. Though the First Amendment generally protects false speech, it does not shield fraud. Upon adopting the First Amendment, …

Compelled Speech, Speaker Preception, And Plausibility, David S. Han

Florida Law Review

In Masterpiece Cakeshop Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, a baker raised a compelled speech claim when his bakery was sanctioned by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission for refusing to make a customized cake for a same-sex wedding. This argument raised a number of difficult questions regarding the existence, attribution, and interpretation of speech that the Supreme Court ultimately left unanswered. Is making a customized cake protected “speech” for First Amendment purposes? When a baker makes a customized cake for a wedding, what exactly does that cake communicate (if anything)? And to whom should any message expressed by the …

Katz'S Imperfect Circle: An Empirical Study Of Reasonable Expectations Of Privacy, Tonja Jacobi, Christopher Brett Jaeger

Florida Law Review

Under Katz v. United States, the Fourth Amendment restricts government actions that infringe upon expectations of privacy that society recognizes as reasonable. This foundational test has long been criticized as circular, both because courts can shape the very expectations they seek to identify through their decisions and because governments can manipulate those expectations to expand the reach of their own power. But how do members of society decide what expectations are reasonable, and how do judges ascertain those expectations? And are expectations of privacy malleable even without deliberate manipulation?

This Article shows that the circularity critique is both understated …

The Big Cost Of Small Farms, Tammi S. Etheridge

Florida Law Review

Americans love meat. We celebrate our independence with steaks on the grill, we enjoy our favorite pastime with hot dogs, and we give thanks with turkey. Our love of meat is so ingrained in our culture that, historically, small increases in meat prices have driven the populace to riot. Today, meat prices are rising. Simultaneously, the largest meat processors and packagers are seeing record profits. Consumers, in turn, are outraged. Their emotions are being fueled by politicians who blame rising profits on a pandemic of greed and collusion and then argue that rigid antitrust enforcement is the only solution.

This …

The Future Of Antitrust Populism, Herbert Hovenkamp

Florida Law Review

During the Biden Administration a form of populism staked a claim in American antitrust policy. While it never had much impact on Congress or the federal judiciary, it had a powerful presence in the antitrust enforcement agencies. This populist antimonopoly movement provided few new ideas, however. Rather, it recycled policies from a half-century or more ago. These include moving merger policy back to the 1960s, resurrecting the often-rejected idea that antitrust should be concerned about “bigness” rather than high prices, reviving the Robinson-Patman Act of the 1930s–1970s, reinstating aggressive per se rules against vertical restraints that were applied in the …

The Chilling Effects Of Dobbs, Jonathon W. Penney, Danielle Keats Citron, Alexis Shore Ingber

Florida Law Review

The Supreme Court’s evisceration of the federal constitutional right to abortion has raised the specter of criminal and civil liability for abortion providers and patients. Police and prosecutors have easy access to commercial reservoirs of intimate data. As individual accounts made clear in the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, corporate surveillance of intimate life chilled expressive activities, such as searching for information about reproductive health and using period tracking apps. Health professionals did not feel safe to speak out about the impact of new abortion laws. Harassment and threats directed at abortion clinics and at …

Bilingual Buddy, Adian Alvarado, Farhaan Pishori, Luis Villalta, Andrea Yao, Ekam Singh

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

Bilingual students often face challenges in mathematics not due to a lack of ability, but because of linguistic barriers that hinder their understanding of math-specific terminology and consequently their problem-solving language ability. This project addresses that issue through the development of a mobile application designed to support English language acquisition in the context of mathematics for Spanish-speaking students. Rather than teaching mathematical concepts directly, the app focuses on vocabulary, syntax, and contextual comprehension through scaffolded lessons, gamified elements, and an integrated AI chatbot.

Built using Flutter for cross-platform compatibility, the app prioritizes accessibility, simplicity, and engagement for young users. Ethical …

Exploring The Association Of Vitamin B12 Deficiency And Dental Health In Older Adults, Man Hung, Amir Mohajeri, Jacob Marx, Corban Ward, Martin S. Lipsky

Institute on Aging Publications

Background

Vitamin B12 plays a crucial role in overall health, yet its impact on dental health, particularly dental caries, remains underexplored. Older adults are at an increased risk of vitamin B12 deficiency and dental disease, but the relationship between these two factors is not well understood. This study examines the association between serum vitamin B12 levels and dental health in older adults using data from the NHANES 2011–2014 cycles.

Methods

A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using NHANES data from 1,907 participants aged 65 and older. Serum vitamin B12 levels were categorized as normal (>221 pmol/L), marginal (148–221 pmol/L), and …

Growing Pains: Relations Between Racial Discrimination And Body Esteem With Ethnic-Racial Identity By Pubertal Timing For Female Adolescents Of Color, Emily J. Takamasa

Theses and Dissertations

Puberty is a near-universal experience among adolescents, and yet rarely have researchers considered the racialized contexts and salience it has, for girls of color. Using the phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory (PVEST), this study examines the relation between pubertal timing, body esteem, racial discrimination and ethnic racial identity (ERI) components (affirmation, exploration, resolution) among adolescent girls of color (n = 218, Mage = 15.7, U.S. sample). Results showed that higher body esteem predicted greater ERI exploration and resolution, particularly for girls with average or late pubertal timing. Additionally, racial discrimination was linked to higher ERI exploration and resolution only …

Caste Discrimination In Ny - Starting A Conversation, Pranathi Charasala, Gali Racabi

Cornell Law Faculty Working Papers

Despite rapid socioeconomic ascent of Indian Americans in the U.S., caste hierarchies continue to structure inequality within the Indian diaspora. This working paper examines caste discrimination in contemporary New York, situating it within broader civil rights frameworks and legal precedents. Drawing from headline cases, emerging local laws, and collective bargaining agreements, the paper shows how caste operates as a social category—legally unrecognized yet experientially real. It explores both the possibilities and pitfalls of folding caste into existing categories like race, color, national origin, and religion, while grappling with arguments that frame caste protections as anti-Hindu bias. The paper concludes with …

Predicting Secondary Mathematics-For-Teaching Knowledge Using Beliefs, Experience, And School Culture: A Hierarchical Regression Analysis, Adam R. Brulhardt

Theses and Dissertations

Research in recent decades has supported the notion that practice-based mathematical knowledge is crucial for effective teaching, playing an important role in enacting reform-oriented instruction required for improving student achievement. Despite its importance, teachers—especially novices—require more support in acquiring such knowledge, an ongoing challenge exacerbated by teacher shortages. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether collaborative school culture (CSC) explained variance in knowledge of algebra for teaching (KAT) beyond variance explained by mathematics-related beliefs and years of teaching experience for U.S. secondary teachers. Measures within an online Qualtrics survey included the Beliefs About Mathematics and Teaching Scale …

Stratégies Discursives De Lutte Contre Le Terrorisme Dans Les Discours Royaux Au Maroc, Badreddine El-Kacimi

Al-Kīmiyā

Morocco is confronted with terrorist threats stemming from its strategic geographical position and ongoing geopolitical conflicts, exacerbated by the Salafist movement. In response, the regime has taken measures such as suppressing Islamist groups and integrating them into the political process. King Mohammed VI has adopted a holistic approach, combining security measures, human development, and the promotion of tolerance values to counter terrorism and ensure national stability. These discourses firmly denounce terrorism and jihadism, highlighting their threat to Morocco’s security and cohesion. The royal metadiscourse aims to promote principles of tolerance and fraternity, rejecting extremism and racism, with the objective of …

Quantum-Chemical Modeling Of Mechanisms And Selectivity In Open-Shell Organometallic Reactions, Michael T. Davenport

Theses and Dissertations

Quantum mechanical calculations have emerged as a powerful approach for directly evaluating reaction mechanisms and selectivity in transition metal-ligand complexes involving organometallic intermediates. Density functional theory (DFT) quantum mechanical methods enable the generation of potential energy surfaces and structures that define reaction mechanisms and allow for the evaluation of selectivity through statistical transition state theory. However, in certain cases, it is necessary to go beyond statistical treatments and incorporate atomic motion through molecular dynamics simulations. Additionally, many transition metal-mediated reactions involve unpaired electrons and spin state crossings. This dissertation focuses on the application of DFT-derived potential energy surfaces and molecular …