Digital Commons Network^™

A Partial Drp1 Knockout Improves Autophagy Flux Independent Of Mitochondrial Function, Rebecca Z. Fan, Carolina Sportelli, Yanhao Lai, Said S. Salehe, Jennifer R. Pinnell, Harry J. Brown, Jason R. Richardson, Shouqing Luo, Kim Tieu

Peninsula Medical School

Background: Dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) plays a critical role in mitochondrial dynamics. Partial inhibition of this protein is protective in experimental models of neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. The protective mechanism has been attributed primarily to improved mitochondrial function. However, the observations that Drp1 inhibition reduces protein aggregation in such neurological disorders suggest the involvement of autophagy. To investigate this potential novel protective mechanism of Drp1 inhibition, a model with impaired autophagy without mitochondrial involvement is needed. Methods: We characterized the effects of manganese (Mn), which causes parkinsonian-like symptoms in humans, on autophagy and mitochondria by …

Examining The Utility Of The Early Childhood Development Index (Ecdi) Among Children In The Nigeria Context, Ngozi V. Enelamah, Smitha Rao, Margaret Lombe, Mansoo Yu, Chrisann Newransky, Chrisann Newransky, Melissa L. Villodas, Andrew Foell, Von Nebbitt

Faculty Publications

An estimated 6 million children under the age of five in Nigeria (out of nearly 31 million) risk not reaching their full developmental potential. The dearth of context-relevant measures poses a challenge to the planning and implementation of effective interventions. This study assesses the utility of the Early Childhood Development Index (ECDI) in Nigeria. We used the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys to track progress among 3- to 4-year-old children (n = 11,073); 3-year-old, 51%; female, 49%. Using random calibration samples, the results from psychometric tests indicate that while over half of the children were on track in their development based …

System And Method Of Dynamic Light Source Control, Dennis Karl Killinger

USF Patents

A system and method of adjusting a field of view in an imaging system includes transmitting light across a transmission optical path and defining a field of view encompassing both uniform and spatially tenuous target objects within the transmitted light. A sensor within a return optical path of reflected light from at least a portion of one of the target objects allows a data processing computer to compile an image from a series of data outputs from the sensor. The image is analyzed to determine a region of interest within the image and by dynamically adjusting the light source, the …

Hsp90 Activator Aha1 Drives Production Of Pathological Tau Aggregates, Chad Dickey, Lindsey Shelton, Brian Blagg, John Koren, Laura Jenelle Blair

USF Patents

Disclosed herein are compounds and methods for inhibiting Aha1 for the treatment of tauopathies and neurodegenerative diseases. The Aha1 inhibitor may reduce the interaction between Aha1 and Hsp90. The Aha1 inhibitor may reduce aggregation of tau protein. The Aha1 inhibitor may include a compound selected from KU-177, KU-174, and KU-308.

“We Are Protected”: Examining Youth Perceptions Of Safety Within A Faith-Based Positive Youth Development Program In El Salvador, Samuel Hay, Jonathan M. Tirrell, Jacqueline Lerner, Elizabeth Dowling, Alistair T. R. Sim, Pamela E. King, Jennifer M. Vaughn, Guillermo Iraheta, Richard Lerner

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

Targeting Social-Emotional Learning And Activity Attitudes During After-School Programming Post Covid-19 Restrictions, Kelly L. Simonton, Victoria N. Shiver, Aimee Gray, Katie Juarez, Angela Simonton

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

A Deep Insight Into A Chemically Homogeneous Banded Pumice Sample: A Role Of Crystal Cargo Immiscibility, Lütfi̇ye Akin, Erkan Aydar, Abdullah Ceylan

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

In this study, a set of representative banded rhyolitic pumice xenoliths collected from the ejecta of a basaltic cinder cone around Göllüdağ volcanic center, Central Anatolia, Türkiye, were characterized through whole-rock and mineral analyses, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), microcomputed tomography (µ-CT), and magnetization studies. The light- and dark-colored bands exhibit similar whole-rock chemistry, mainly distributed in rhyolite composition (71.35–71.66 wt.% SiO2). The dark pumice band shows high crystallinity (12–14 vol.%) with abundant subhedral-euhedral phenocrystals, microphenocrystals, and microlites, and a glass composition consisting of 71–76 wt.% SiO2. In contrast, the light pumice band exhibits relatively low crystallinity (1.86–8.08 vol.%) with phenocrystals …

Coastal Discharge Extremes And Their Environmental Impact On The Sea Of Marmara, Nüvi̇t Berkay Başdurak

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Increases in evaporation driven by global warming change the hydrological cycle by fueling extreme precipitation and exacerbating the frequency and intensity of extreme floods. Combined with the increase in terrestrial waste and pollutants, the changing climate exposes coastal zones to natural hazards. The Sea of Marmara, as an inland sea with a dense coastal population, is more vulnerable to such changes and subject to eutrophication and extreme environmental events (e.g., mucilage). Therefore, quantification of daily and along-coast variation of river discharge and evaluation of its annual trend of extremes are crucial. The daily discharges from the coastal watersheds Biga, Gönen, …

Examining Health-Seeking Behavior Among Diverse Ethnic Subgroups Within Black Populations In The United States And Canada: A Cross-Sectional Study, Yordanos M. Tiruneh, Oluwatunmininu Anwoju, Ariel C. Harrison, Martha T. Garcia, Shauna K. Elbers

School of Medicine Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Black populations, often treated as ethnically homogenous, face a constant challenge in accessing and utilizing healthcare services. This study examines the intra-group differences in health-seeking behavior among diverse ethnic subgroups within Black communities. A cross-sectional analysis included 239 adults ≥18 years of age who self-identified as Black in the United States and Canada. Multiple logistic regression assessed the relationship between health-seeking behaviors and ethnic origin, controlling for selected social and health-related factors. The mean age of the participants was 38.6 years, 31% were male, and 20% were unemployed. Sixty-one percent reported a very good or excellent health status, and …

Individual Risk Factors Associated With Cesarean Section Surgical Site Infections Among African American Women In California, Paula St Hill

Frank Dilley Award for Outstanding Doctoral Study

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a significant public health issue. More than 600,000 patients in the United States develop HAIs every year. Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a very common HAI and can develop when a woman has a Cesarean section (C-section). The complications from the development of an SSI can be severe. SSIs and C-section rates are high among African American women. The purpose of this quantitative study, utilizing secondary data provided by the California Health and Human Services Open Data Portal, was to determine if age at the time of delivery, smoking status of tobacco and non-tobacco products during …

Development And Evaluation Of Novel Applications For The Ethos Cbct-Guided Online Adaptive Radiotherapy System, Nour Nasser

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Radiation therapy (RT) is an important pillar of modern cancer treatment, in neoadjuvant, curative, adjuvant, and palliative settings. The physics underlying RT is ionizing radiation that produces charged particles, which deposit their energy in the tissues they pass through. This energy results in unrepairable DNA damage resulting in the death of cancer tissue. The aim of RT is to deliver the desired radiation dose to the tumor while maximizing normal tissue sparing. Over the past decades, physics, engineering, and computational improvements has allowed advancement of external beam RT techniques, for example from 2D RT to 3D RT to now intensity …

Benchmarking Strategies Used To Increase Diversity, Equity, Inclusion At Summer Camps, Lisa Meerts, Taylor Wycoff, Jim Sibthorp

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

Surface And Bulk Properties Of Multi-Component Metal Alloys, Frank A. Mckay Iii

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

While HEAs have been studied extensively for their material properties, their potential as catalysts remains widely unexplored. To explore the feasibility of CoCrFeNi as a catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction, the results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) experiments are compared to electrochemical experiments and theoretical calculations. XPS shows that this surface forms passive oxides with a propensity of Cr > Fe > Co, with no evidence of Ni oxidation. From comparison to calculations, it is shown that the electrochemical activity is enhanced in a partially oxidized state. The lack of Ni oxidation suggests that …

Network Of Epistatic Interactions In An Enzyme Active Site Revealed By Large-Scale Deep Mutational Scanning, Murugesan Palaniappan, André Birgy, B V Venkataram Prasad, Timothy Palzkill

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Cooperative interactions between amino acids are critical for protein function. A genetic reflection of cooperativity is epistasis, which is when a change in the amino acid at one position changes the sequence requirements at another position. To assess epistasis within an enzyme active site, we utilized CTX-M β-lactamase as a model system. CTX-M hydrolyzes β-lactam antibiotics to provide antibiotic resistance, allowing a simple functional selection for rapid sorting of modified enzymes. We created all pairwise mutations across 17 active site positions in the β-lactamase enzyme and quantitated the function of variants against two β-lactam antibiotics using next-generation sequencing. Context-dependent sequence …

The Financial Conundrum, Morgan O'Sullivan, Joe Weglarz

Faculty and Staff Publications & Presentations

Do you want to learn how cross campus collaboration can make things smoother for a Student Financial Services Office by the time a term begins? Do you want to see accounts resolved sooner, financial aid processed quicker, and the traditional stress and rush of the Fall orientation week evaporate into just another regular workday? Through working closely with an admission office, the student financial services offices at Lynn University and Marist College have found a potential solution! By sharing strategies used, historical data, and the positives and negatives of the various processes used over the last 3 years, the presenters …

Trans-Disciplinary Communication And Persuasion In Convergence Research Approach, Cristo León, James Lipuma, Marcos O. Cabobianco, Edgar Meritano, Bruce G. Bukiet

STEM for Success Resources

All content in this magazine is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Attribution-Non-Commercial-Non-Derivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

A Longitudinal Investigation Of The Relationships Between Experiences With Sexual Harassment, Self-Objectification, And Self-Concept Clarity Among Women, Roxanne N. Felig

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This longitudinal research investigates the nuanced relationship between sexual harassment and self-concept development among both men and women over a six-week period, presenting a unified model that integrates theories of self-objectification and self-concept clarity. Across three waves of data collection (N= 370, N=315, N=279, respectively), I find evidence that women experience higher rates of sexual harassment, greater self-objectification, and lower self-concept clarity than men. Across time, I find that experiencing sexual harassment predicts heightened self-objectification, which further predicts a disrupted sense of self among both men and women. Critically, this work investigates the reciprocal nature of self-objectification and self-concept clarity, …

An Analysis Of Driven Pile Relaxation In Florida Soils, Dalton E. Knowles

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prestressed concrete piles (PCP) are a common geotechnical foundational element employed in marine and land bridges. PCP are commonly driven by an impact diesel hammer until the desired nominal bearing resistance is reached at the end of the initial drive (EOID). At a later time, the pile resistance may be verified, but not always, via a restrike, usually with the same impact hammer. At the beginning of a restrike, the resistance of the pile is rarely equal to the resistance at the EOID either increasing, known as set-up, or decreasing, known as relaxation. Set-up is clearly beneficial, however, this thesis …

No Such Thing As Nappy, Alan Roosevelt Atkins

Theses and Dissertations

This supportive statement examines how my upbringings influenced my cultural and societal perspectives and how I strive to challenge perceptions of race, history, and culture through my artwork. I include representations of people from various diasporas in drawings, prints, and animations to speak to the global reach of colorism and Eurocentrism. Influenced by the DIY nature of punk art and the urgency of protest art, I utilize materials such as Sharpies, fabric markers, collage, and cardboard. Use of cardboard suggests commercial exchange and the physical movement of goods from one place to another, as well as modern throw-away culture. Parallels …

Context-Aware Data Analytics In Healthcare: A Fairness Perspective, Motahareh Pourbehzadi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The following dissertation is an accumulation of applied data analytics research in healthcare. In the first chapter, the focus is on detecting ineffective self-management in diabetic patients. Through the application of Natural Language Processing (NLP), the project investigates links between the diabetic patients' discharge notes and their compliance to exercise, dietary restrictions and medications. A bi-product of this research is the development of an online dashboard that allocates scores to six compliance categories. This tools allows healthcare provider to assess patient progress and compare it to the population averages. The dashboard also offers a patient summary generated using the Chat …

Residential Metals Abatement Program Investigation Summary Report (Non-Residential Parcels – Indoor Dust) - Emerson Elementary School, Environmental Resource Management (Erm)

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

The Outcomes Measured And Reported In Observational Studies Of Incidental And Untreated Intracranial Meningioma: A Systematic Review, Michael Mcdermott

All Publications

Background: The clinical management of patients with incidental intracranial meningioma varies markedly and is often based on clinician choice and observational data. Heterogeneous outcome measurement has likely hampered knowledge progress by preventing comparative analysis of similar cohorts of patients. This systematic review aimed to summarize the outcomes measured and reported in observational studies.

Methods: A systematic literature search was performed to identify published full texts describing active monitoring of adult cohorts with incidental and untreated intracranial meningioma (PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and CINAHL via EBSCO, completed January 24, 2022). Reported outcomes were extracted verbatim, along with an associated definition and method …

The Infrared Absorption Spectrum Of Phenylacetylene And Its Deuterated Isotopologue In The Mid- To Far-Ir, Vincent J. Esposito, Pierro Ferrari, Wybren Jan Buma, Ryan C. Fortenberry, Christiaan Boersma, Alessandra Candian, Alexander G. G. M. Tielens

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Anharmonicity strongly influences the absorption and emission spectra of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. Here, IR–UV ion-dip spectroscopy experiments together with detailed anharmonic computations reveal the presence of fundamental, overtone, as well as 2- and 3-quanta combination band transitions in the far- and mid-infrared absorption spectra of phenylacetylene and its singly deuterated isotopologue. Strong absorption features in the 400–900 cm⁻¹ range originate from CH(D) in-plane and out-of-plane wags and bends, as well as bending motions including the C≡C and CH bonds of the acetylene substituent and the aromatic ring. For phenylacetylene, every absorption feature is assigned either directly or …

Counterterrorism Legislation On Community Integration In Kenya, Collins Okinyi Odongo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Strategies For Reducing Employee Turnover Of Hotel Frontline Employees, Nathaniel D. Holland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Coaching Behaviors And High School Athlete’S Perceptions Of Team Inclusion And Bullying, Laronce Deangelo Jamal Franklin Sr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Individual Risk Factors Associated With Cesarean Section Surgical Site Infections Among African American Women In California, Paula St Hill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Leadership Strategies To Improve Volunteer Motivation In Nonprofit Organizations, Olukemi Omolola Oyedepo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Leadership On Nurse Retention In The U.S. South Atlantic Division, Dewight Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Visual Outcome And Ocular Complications In Patients With Lacrimal Gland Carcinoma After Eye-Sparing Surgery And Adjuvant Radiation Therapy, Zhenyang Zhao, Steven Jay Frank, Jing Ning, Jiawei Zhao, Xinyang Jiang, Amy C Schefler, Amy Moreno, Brandon Gunn, Renata Ferrarotto, Bita Esmaeli

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: We report visual outcomes and ocular complications in patients with lacrimal gland carcinoma who had eye-sparing surgery followed by radiotherapy.

Methods: This review included consecutive patients with lacrimal gland carcinoma who underwent eye-sparing surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiation therapy between 2007 and 2018. Clinical data, including details of ophthalmological examinations and radiation treatment were reviewed.

Results: The study included 23 patients, 15 males and 8 females, with median age 51 years. Twenty patients (87%) received intensity-modulated proton therapy; 3 (13%) received intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Nineteen patients (83%) received concurrent chemotherapy. After a median follow-up time of 37 months …