Digital Commons Network^™

Mighty Mangrove Trees Bring The Creditors To The Yard: China To Swap Sri Lanka's Debt-For-Nature, Tharuka Fernando

LSU Journal of Energy Law and Resources

No abstract provided.

(R2129) Layer Resolving Classical Scheme For A System Of N Time-Dependent Singularly Perturbed Problems With Spatial Delay And Robin Initial Conditions, K. Ramiya Bharathi, G. E. Chatzarakis, M. Joseph Paramasivam

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

This article deals with solving a system of n time-dependent singularly perturbed problems with spatial delay and robin initial conditions. Each equation’s leading term is multiplied by a distinct small positive parameter, inducing overlapping initial layers. Due to presence of these parameters and delay terms, intricate layers occur at interior regions of the domain. To capture the behavior of these layers the solution is decomposed into two components and layer functions are also formulated. The formulation of the layer resolving numerical scheme involves temporal and spatial discretization on uniform and piecewise uniform Shishkin meshes respectively. The proposed framework is found …

Exploring Staphylococcus Aureus Host-Pathogen Interaction Using Proteomic Technologies, Emilee Marlene Elizabeth Mustor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus deploys an arsenal of virulence effectors to remodel the host environment during infection, while simultaneously the host mounts an immune response to contain and eliminate this bacterium. This dynamic interplay defines the host-pathogen interface and shapes infection outcome. In this context, the secreted proteases represent a major arm of S. aureus pathogenesis, promoting bacterial persistence in the host by dismantling immune defenses, cleaving host signaling molecules and reshaping the host proteome. However, traditional substrate-by-substrate characterization cannot reveal the full scope of proteolytic activity occurring during infection. To address this, we developed Terminal Amine-Guanidination of Substrates-Charge Reversal (TAGS-CR), a …

Career Decidedness Among Multicultural Adolescents In South Korea: Relational Support And Internalized Psychological Resources, Kahyen Shin

Dissertations - ALL

Despite the growing number of multicultural adolescents in South Korea, little is known about how to support their career development. Specifically, Korean multicultural adolescents who have foreign-born mothers and Korean fathers have experienced educational and career gaps compared to non-multicultural adolescents in Korea. Given that relational supports are documented to have significant associations with adolescents' career decidedness, this study aims to examine the relationship between relational supports and career decidedness through internalized psychological resources such as self-esteem and achievement motivation. Grounded in the Relational Theory of Working (RTW; Blustein, 2011), the researcher focused on the mediating role of internalized psychological …

From Detection To Segmentation: A Foundation Model Approach To Organoid Brightfield Image Analysis Using Sam 3, Hiren Manani

Theses - ALL

This thesis presents the first systematic application of SAM 3, a unified foundation model for promptable segmentation, to mouse small intestinal organoid brightfield microscopy image analysis. The work spans the complete pipeline from zero-shot baseline evaluation through domain-specific fine-tuning on a GPU cluster, and documents the full engineering process required to adapt a state-of-the-art foundation model to a novel biomedical imaging domain. A comprehensive literature review of over 20 papers spanning detection-based, classical segmentation, foundation model, and morphological analysis approaches identified a clear research gap that this thesis addresses. Five critical compatibility patches were developed to deploy SAM 3 on …

Rapid Synthesis And Processing Of High-Capacity Layered Oxide Cathode Materials For Lithium And Sodium Batteries, Hansheng Li

Dissertations - ALL

Lithium-Manganese-Rich-Oxide (LMRO) is a type of layered oxide cathode active material with high energy densities of up to 900 - 1,000 Wh kg-1, competitive in capacity-demanding rechargeable lithium batteries. The increased energy density is beneficial for the range and recharging interval of electric vehicles. Based on layered Ni/Mn/Co oxide cathode materials, a high Mn content is chosen for this project as being abundant, while increased Ni concentration trades off thermal stability with specific capacity, while Co is carcinogenic and sourced less sustainably. Lithium content is increased along with Manganese content stoichiometrically as a second phase is introduced. Traditional synthesis routes …

Inundated With Uncertainty: A Cartographic Assessment Of Fema’S Flood Insurance Rate Maps (Firms) And Flood Risk Discourse, Michael Cabal

Theses - ALL

Flooding accounts for almost 90% of all natural disasters in the United States. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is the authoritative agency tasked with mapping Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) that determine high-risk flood zones. These maps, known as Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), are used to establish mandatory flood insurance requirements, regulate local floodplain building requirements, inform future development, and mitigate potential flood damage. However, the process for updating and implementing flood maps has come under significant scrutiny for being oversimplified, inaccurate, and incomplete. Despite existing scholarship on the shortfalls of FEMA’s recent responses to disasters, there is limited …

Investigating The Role Of Cellular Senescence On Vestibular Dysfunction In Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Michael Volyanyuk

Dissertations

Vestibular dysfunction is a prevalent and persistent consequence of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Clinical reports reveal that women experience vestibular deficits more frequently than men following mTBI. Despite the high prevalence and debilitating nature of vestibular symptoms, preclinical literature evaluating mTBI-associated vestibular impairments is limited. Emerging evidence demonstrates that cellular senescence is involved in the pathological molecular sequela of mTBI. It has been shown that senescence contributes to cognitive deficits following repetitive mTBI (rmTBI); however, its role in rmTBI-associated vestibular dysfunction remains unexplored. This body of work investigated the role of cellular senescence on rmTBI-induced vestibular dysfunction in both …

Forced And Driven: Pressures And Motives Of Better Marketing, Xiaobo Lin

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation comprises two essays examining how external pressures and internal firm characteristics jointly determine marketing decisions and their consequences for firms, stakeholders, and society at large. The first essay investigates the heterogeneous spillover effects of product quality crises on rival firms’ market value and rivals’ subsequent strategic adjustments in recruitment. Three concurrent mechanisms, the consumer switching effect, the industry demand effect, and the remedial cost effect, are proposed to derive and empirically test a nonlinear relationship between firm similarity and net spillover outcomes. Using event study methodology across 102 product quality crises among Chinese listed firms from 2017 to …

Knowing And Being Known: Monstrosity And Relationality In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Rachel Carpenter

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation looks at Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein as a prime example of the ways character relations and narrative form can invite both characters and readers to renegotiate the boundaries of monstrosity and humanity, how our notions of such monstrosity and humanity are constituted dynamically, through relationships, and how this negotiation is itself a religious relational dynamic. By closely reading Mary Shelley’s novel, I consider three main facets of the work: the epistolary frame of the novel as a series of letters and stories relayed between characters, the practice of naming that takes place within the novel, and the …

A Study On Gender Equality And Geographic Homogeneity In Education And Their Association With Midlife Suicide, Julene Kemp Cooney

Dissertations - ALL

ABSTRACT Suicide consistently ranks among the top five causes of death for the U.S. population aged 25-64, and suicide rates have been rising in the United States since 2000. Although targeted efforts have been made to reduce suicide deaths among high-risk individuals, the upstream, or “contextual,” causes of poor mental health that drive suicidal ideation and completion are fueling a national mental health crisis that is overwhelming available mental health resources, resulting in a significant and needless loss of life. This three-chapter dissertation examines how suicide rates among midlife adults in the United States are associated with several upstream contexts …

Peptide And Peptide Bioconjugate Based Drug Development For The Treatment Of Metabolic Diseases, Nancy Cham

Dissertations - ALL

The Doyle group has coined the term ‘corrination’ to describe the conjugate modification of a peptide, protein, small molecule, or radionuclide with a corrin ring-containing molecule such as cobalamin, also known as vitamin B12 (B12), or cobinamides. By exploiting the innate chemico-physical properties of corrin ring-containing compounds, both in general and specifically via the innate dietary B12 uptake pathway in mammals, corrination has been explored for drug development and targeted/localized delivery of probes and therapeutics. Most recently, it is in the field of peptide-based therapeutics that corrination is generating significant interest, no doubt driven in part by the recent successes …

Marble Bodies: Sculpture, Gender, Race, And Nineteenth-Century U.S. Literature, Madeline Olley

Dissertations - ALL

Marble Bodies reads across both literary texts and sculptures to ask how sculptural logic operates across forms to reveal what sculptors and sculpture offer the field of nineteenth-century U.S. literary studies—formally, theoretically, and methodologically. It argues that sculpture functions not merely as subject matter within nineteenth-century American literature but as an interpretive framework that reveals how bodies are objectified, valued, and assigned cultural meaning. With attention to the formal and material properties of sculpture—stillness, smoothness, and duration—and to the questions of ideality, valuation, and preservation that sculpture generates, this dissertation shows how nineteenth-century writers and artists found in those properties …

Isolation, Molecular Identification, And Biofilm Characterisation Of Klebsiella Pneumoniae From Clinical Specimens, With Evaluation Of Probiotic Lactobacillus Fermentum-Mediated Anti-Biofilm Activity, Sophy Ps

Muthanna Medical Journal

Background: Healthcare-associated infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae infection are increasingly associated with indwelling medical devices due to the organism's strong biofilm-forming ability, which enhances resistance to antibiotics and host immune responses. This study evaluated the biofilm-forming potential of clinical Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates and investigated the anti-biofilm activity of Lactobacillus fermentum under in vitro conditions. Methods: Fifteen clinical specimens, including catheter tips (n=6), sputum (n=5), and urine (n=4), were collected between September and December 2012. Isolates were identified using morphological and biochemical tests. Biofilm formation was assessed using the crystal violet microtiter plate assay. Molecular confirmation involved 16S rRNA gene sequencing …

Unfriending The Kids: The Problematic Race To Childproof Social Media, Randolph A. Robinson Ii

Cleveland State Law Review

A growing number of states have recently enacted new laws with the goal of protecting young people from potential harm allegedly caused by social media use. These laws are diverse in their approaches but broadly seek to limit youth access to social media platforms by imposing age verification and parental consent requirements. These laws directly implicate the First Amendment rights of both young users who will no longer be able to access speech or speak on social media platforms as well as adult users who must now submit to age verification to access these quintessential forums for political discourse.

These …

Evaluating Vectors For The Design Of A Spillover-Disrupting Lassa Virus Transmissible Vaccine, Scott L. Nuismer, Christopher H. Remien, Bruno Ghersi, Jenna Nichols, James Bangura, Emmanuel Amara, Marilyn C. Kanu, Osman T. Kanu, Edwin G. Lavalie, Mohamed Turay, Patrick L.K. Swaray, Mohamed A. Vandi, Joseph Hughes, Heinz Feldmann, Kyle Rosenke, Michael A. Jarvis, Andrew J. Davison

School of Biomedical Sciences

Lassa fever is a viral zoonotic disease that sickens tens of thousands of people each year when it spills over from its rodent reservoir throughout West Africa. Despite the burden this persistent spillover places on public health, stopping it has proven to be an intractable challenge despite decades of investment and effort. A revolutionary solution is the development of a transmissible vaccine that can spread through the rodent population resulting in immune coverage sufficient to eliminate Lassa virus transmission. Here, we evaluate the feasibility of a transmissible vaccine constructed from native cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) previously isolated from the natural reservoir of …

Analysis Of The Formation And Structure Of Protective Films In Sustainable Ionic Liquid Lubricants, Brendan Mahoney

Theses

Friction losses and wear of sliding components account for nearly one quarter of global energy consumption. Developing new lubricants to reduce these losses is essential for a more cost-effective and sustainable future. The automotive industry offers the greatest economic potential for new tribological discoveries, as it affects billions of people around the world. A significant portion of the friction losses in automobiles are due to the reciprocating motion in the engine, which leads to metal-on-metal contact. Ionic liquids have emerged as novel lubricants and additives due to their ability to form protective surface layers on metals, reducing friction and wear. …

Wearable Sensor Technology And Biomechanical Gait Analysis In Post-Stroke Rehabilitation: A Review With Implications For The Saudi Healthcare System, Abdullah H. Alzahrani

Neurosciences

Stroke remains a major cause of disability worldwide, with gait impairment affecting up to 80% of survivors and contributing to long-term dependence, fall risk, and reduced quality of life. In Saudi Arabia, stroke incidence is rising, with a significant burden on younger populations and disparities in access to post-stroke rehabilitation services. Conventional gait analysis tools rely on expensive, specialized laboratory equipment, which limits their availability in low-resource and rural settings. Recent advances in wearable sensor technologies, including inertial measurement units, pressure insoles, and electromyography systems, offer portable, scalable, and cost-efficient options for assessing gait in real-world environments. These systems can …

Multi-Modal Survival Prediction On Breast Cancer Mammograms And Enabling Multi-Institutional Collaborations With Federated Learning, Nikolas Koutsoubis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, and machine learning is well positioned to leverage the large volumes of routinely collected clinical and imaging data to improve patient outcomes. Realizing this potential at scale requires three capabilities that current practice does not yet deliver in combination: models that integrate the multiple data modalities clinicians use, training procedures that respect institutional data-sharing constraints, and tooling that enables sharing of de-identified data when federated approaches are not sufficient. This dissertation develops methods and infrastructure addressing each of these capabilities in the context of breast cancer and oncology more broadly. …

Testimonios From Latine Educational Leaders Supporting Youth Development Programs, Luis E. Feliciano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States has been experiencing a demographic change for the last twenty years representing a rise in both Latiné students and families. Despite this demographic change, Latiné folk remain widely underrepresented in school leadership, and furthermore underrepresented in specific Youth Development Programs (YDPs), with the relationship between educational leaders and YDPs being widely unexplored in academia. This study sought to bridge the gap between YDPs and educational leadership, specifically for Latiné folk by asking how Latiné educational leaders used their cultural heritage to encourage YDP development. To accomplish this a testimonio methodology was implemented via a two staged interview …

Evaluating The Role Of Individual Differences: Impact On Fruit And Vegetable Intake Outcomes In Nourish-T+ Caregivers Of Pediatric Cancer Survivors, Sandra Soca Lozano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric cancer survivors are at increased risk for obesity and related long-term health complications, highlighting the need for interventions promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors during survivorship. The present study examined caregivers’ fruit and vegetable intake in the full NOURISH-T+ intervention and evaluated whether their dietary outcomes changed from baseline to the 3-month post-assessment and differed by selected caregiver sociodemographic characteristics. The study also examined whether these characteristics accounted for variance in 3-month fruit and vegetable outcomes. Participants included 68 caregivers in the full NOURISH-T+ condition who completed both baseline and 3-month post-assessments. Fruit and vegetable intake was assessed using the Healthy …

Marshallese Female Caregivers’ Intention To Seek Pediatric Care For Their Children, Ages 2–5, With A Body Mass Index At Or Above The 95th Percentile, Living In Northwest Arkansas, Madicyn Huddleston Freeman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Exploratory Study Of Stress Myocardial Blood Flow And Myocardial Perfusion Reserve In Relation To Cerebral Small Vessel Disease On Mri: A Hypothesis-Generating Analysis, Young Ju Kim, Tsun Hei Sin, Chi Wai Stephen Cheung, Ka Fung Henry Mak, Ming Yen Ng

Journal of the Hong Kong College of Cardiology

Background: Small vessel disease of the heart and brain share common risk factors and pathophysiological mechanisms, but imaging-based evidence of a direct link between coronary microvascular dysfunction and cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) remains limited. This study aimed to assess whether stress myocardial blood flow (MBF) and myocardial perfusion reserve (MPR) are associated with brain magnetic resonance imaging (BMR) markers of CSVD. Methods: This retrospective study included adult patients who underwent both cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and BMR between January 2021 and December 2025 at a tertiary center. Quantitative stress MBF and MPR were assessed using adenosine stress CMR. …

The Multitargeted Cellular Spectrum Of Quercetin: Ameliorating Xenobiotic Toxicities And Metabolic Disorders, Wissam Sajid Hashim

Muthanna Medical Journal

Quercetin, a prominent dietary flavonol, exhibits a diverse range of biological activities that extend beyond simple free-radical scavenging, encompassing vital cytoprotective, membrane-stabilizing, and metabolic-regulatory properties.¹ This comprehensive review elucidates the multifaceted pharmacological spectrum of quercetin in restoring physiological homeostasis under conditions of xenobiotic insults and metabolic stress.² Specifically, we synthesize experimental and clinical evidence—including pivotal comparative studies to demonstrate quercetin's exceptional capacity to regulate systemic lipid profiles, preserve hemorheological parameters, and maintain cellular membrane integrity across vital systems.^3,4 Furthermore, this review highlights the therapeutic efficacy of quercetin in mitigating industrial and environmental xenobiotic-induced toxicities, with particular emphasis …

Racial Differences In Hiv Testing And Hiv Infection Among Adults With Seborrheic Dermatitis In Atlanta, Georgia, Olivia Elizabeth Collins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Rural U.S. Midwestern Kindergarten Through Grade 5 Elementary Teachers’ Experiences With 3d Science Instruction, Janine L. Sankar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

William Lewis, Jr. V. Tracey Chance

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Middle District of Pennsylvania

Plasma Gdf15 Affects Long-Term Dementia Risk And Alters Neuroimmune Signaling, Gabriela T Gomez, Zulema Rodriguez-Hernandez, Luke C Pilling, Jingsha Chen, Eva Jacobsen, Heather E Dark, Yifei Lu, Shannon M Drouin, Cassandra M Joynes, Minhao Yao, Murat Bilgel, Abhay Moghekar, Qu Tian, Julián Candia, Mary Kaileh, Aditi Gupta, Krystyna Mazan-Mamczarz, Myriam Gorospe, Alexey Lyashkov, Yevgeniya Lukyanenko, Mika Kivimaki, Philipp Frank, Lori L Jennings, Valborg Gudmundsdottir, Vilmundur Gudnason, Lenore J Launer, Naoto Kaneko, Shintaro Kato, Makio Furuichi, Masaki Shibayama, Masahisa Katsuno, Keita Hiraga, Yukiko Nishita, Rei Otsuka, James R Pike, Mary R Rooney, Pascal Schlosser, Yuhan Cui, Guray Erus, Christos Davatzikos, Rebecca F Gottesman, Iwao Waga, Priya Palta, Christie Ballantyne, Michael Griswold, Zhonghua Liu, Luigi Ferrucci, Allison B Herman, Keenan A Walker

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Growth/differentiation factor-15 (GDF15) is a secreted cytokine strongly associated with dementia risk. However, the extent to which GDF15 represents a biomarker and driver of dementia risk remains unclear. Across multiple cohorts, we demonstrated that plasma GDF15 is associated with greater dementia risk over 15- to 25-year follow-up periods when measured in midlife, with stronger associations observed for vascular, compared to Alzheimer's disease (AD), dementia. Two-sample Mendelian randomization supported plasma GDF15's mechanistic role in AD and related dementias, while cohort studies linked it to cerebral small vessel disease, neurodegeneration, phosphorylated tau, and a cerebrospinal fluid proteomic signature indicative of neuroimmune activation. …

Molecular Identification Of Cryptococcus Albidus Isolated From A Gingivitis Infection In A Male From Karbala City, Iraq, Maysaa Taqi Al-Khazali, Zahraa Raheem Murshidy, Sarah Kadhim Al-Rahimy, Sura Abd Ali Kadhim Mohammed, Dhuha Ali Hussein

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The current study presents a case of gingivitis caused by Cryptococcus albidus in a 35-year-old male from the city of Karbala in Iraq. This fungal species was identified via morphology, microscopy, additionally to the VITEK system. C. albidus was further confirmed using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique by amplifying the 18S rRNA gene as a universal primer and sequencing. Sequences analysis revealed that this strain of C. albidus had not been previously documented in the NCBI database. Hence, the newly obtained sequences were submitted to the GenBank repository and assigned the accession number OQ975882.1, marking the first report of …

Contested Bodies, Reconfigured Selves Rethinking Identity And Embodiment In Genai-Mediated Education, Anslem Böhmer

Journal of Academic Research and Innovation

No abstract provided.