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A Secondary Qualitative Analysis of U.S. Social Workers’ Perspectives on a Post-2020 Policing Era
No full textThe events of 2020 brought national attention to long-standing systemic inequities, particularly those affecting communities of color, as a convergence of public health and social justice crises. One prominent concern was police violence in the Black American community. In response, many communities explored alternative approaches to public safety, including the integration of social workers into policing to support individual well-being. This secondary qualitative data analysis, based on a phenomenological study conducted in 2022, aimed to understand social workers’ perspectives on policing in the post-2020 era, particularly those who served in law enforcement settings. Analysis of responses from 40 participants revealed two major themes: distrust and contextual impermanence. These findings offer insights into collaboration and trust-building among police, social workers, and communities, while also highlighting the complexities of training and the evolving nature of policing
Water Refill Station Dataset
No full textCollection of University of South Florida St. Petersburg Campus water refill station data accounting for presence of Elkay water refill stations, possible ticker numbers for bottles saved by its use, various location descriptors, etc. for the years 2024 and 2025
Leveraging DNA Methylation Profiling and microRNA Sequencing to Characterize the Epigenomic Landscape of Major Depressive Disorder Disease Trajectory
No full textMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is a common and debilitating mental disorder associated with a significant disease burden and economic cost. Despite ample evidence documenting the efficacy of a diverse array of established MDD therapies, a large proportion of patients are inadequately responsive to initial treatment attempts, with first-line treatments leading to remission in only ~30% of the patients. Importantly, about a third of patients even fail to achieve symptom improvement after two or more antidepressant trials, resulting in what is commonly defined as treatment-resistant depression (TRD). The ability to identify which treatments are most likely to elicit a positive response in a given patient remains an elusive goal in psychiatry, highlighting the urgent need to identify biomarkers of MDD treatment outcomes, remission, and relapse. Moreover, although a substantial body of work has investigated MDD disease trajectory in both clinical and epidemiologic contexts, little research has examined biologic predictors of MDD disease trajectory in naturalistic (i.e. community-based) settings.
Recently, epigenetic profiles have shown promise as predictors of MDD treatment outcomes and may show promise as predictors of MDD disease trajectory. Epigenetic factors are stable but modifiable chemical modifications that serve as mechanisms by which the environment can moderate the effects of genes. DNA methylation (DNAm) is generally regarded as the most stable epigenetic mark, and while much work has focused on this mechanism in relation to MDD, only few studies have investigated DNAm in relation to treatment outcomes and TRD. Converging evidence suggests that baseline DNAm could be leveraged as possible predictors of antidepressant and electroconvulsive therapy response but a significant gap in the literature exists about the use of DNAm profiles in the context of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) - a treatment modality that involves stimulating the brain via a magnetic field resulting in acute depolarization and altered electrical activity in the underlying neurons. Although TMS is highly effective in reducing depressive symptoms, a substantial fraction (~30%) of patients do not respond to this treatment, highlighting the need to identify whether epigenetic profiles predict response to TMS prior to treatment.
Relatedly, DNAm-based epigenetic factors have been used to characterize MDD disease trajectory, yet other epigenetic factors-in particular microRNAs (miRNAs) have yet to be explored outside of cross-sectional and/or clinical settings. Regarding miRNAs, these dynamic epigenetic factors have been shown to be involved with the dysregulation of known pathways implicated in the pathophysiology of MDD, yet such classifications do not apply to 100% of MDD patients, suggesting heterogeneity in the underlying characteristics of the disease. Additionally, the associational nature of current MDD miRNA studies prohibits the determination of whether observed miRNA expression profiles associated with MDD are predictive of, or a consequence of, the disorder.
In the Introduction in Chapter One, I provide a brief overview of MDD and its treatment approaches, discuss the concept of treatment resistance and explain the unmet need for reliable predictors of MDD disease trajectory and treatment outcomes. Additionally, I give a brief overview of epigenetic regulation in MDD and how it relates to its disease pathogenesis and trajectory. In Chapter Two, I discuss how epigenetic mechanism may help inform the development of predictive biomarkers by critically evaluating studies to date that investigated the best documented epigenetic mechanism, DNAm, in relation to treatment outcomes. While this avenue of research is in its infancy, it provides a new approach to improve personalized medicine that could be explored in other treatment strategies such a TMS. In Chapter Three, I apply genome-scale and targeted approaches to prospectively characterize blood-derived, DNAm-based epigenetic profiles among patients with TRD who are undergoing TMS treatment. I investigate whether distinct methylation patterns, captured through differentially methylated regions and methylation levels at targeted probes in the peripheral blood of patients with TRD can distinguish between TMS treatment-responders and nonresponders. While I identify distinct DNAm-based epigenetic signatures among TMS treatment outcomes, future studies leveraging larger sample sizes and employing longitudinal designs will be critical to the development of DNAm biomarkers in the context of TMS.
In Chapter Four, I leverage two-timepoint miRNA sequencing data from the Detroit Neighborhood Health Study, a population-representative cohort of adults residing in Detroit, Michigan, to characterize miRNA expression profiles associated with changes in depressive symptoms. I hypothesized that changes in depression symptom severity are associated with changes in miRNA expression over time and identify miRNAs whose expression change trajectories are explained by symptom improvement or worsening.
With these insights in mind, the overall goal of this dissertation work is to evaluate the epigenetic mechanism DNAm in relation to MDD treatment outcomes; characterize DNAm-based epigenetic profiles that distinguish between responders vs. nonresponders to TMS, a promising treatment in TRD populations; and elucidate the role of microRNA in MDD development and disease trajectory. This work provides an innovative approach to characterize epigenetics mechanism involved in the disease trajectory of MDD, that may inform other future efforts within the framework of precision psychiatry: a framework that seeks to use biomarkers to help guide treatment choices and optimize therapy response, which I discuss in the conclusion in Chapter Five
Disrupting Latina/x Media Representations: A Performance Art Installation Informed by Autoethnographic and Embodied Explorations
No full textIn this dissertation I use autoethnography and performance methods to create a performance art installation that examines and re-imagines the role of media representations in shaping how I as a Latina actively negotiates belonging and identifies this concept as always in a processes requiring negotiation. I argue belonging is influenced by how I see myself or don’t see myself in media representation and offer the counter-narrative as a way of asserting agency and disrupting marginalization. In this project, I tend to the tensions felt between being a community member, media maker, and qualitative researcher in order to disrupt media messages. I approach this research process as a performance, intercultural communication, and Latina/x media studies scholar. Through autoethnographic accounts, I offer personal insights into embodied research and unfold the various ways that identity, the self, and media representations inform our cultural selves. Using a multidisciplinary approach, I ask how the concept of belonging is constituted for me in relation to media representations and consider how performance art enables me to embody alternative narratives of belonging that challenge dominant media representations. Guided by these two questions I use media analysis and respond to media texts using performance art as a method. I then crafted my responses into a counter-narrative about belonging in my performance art installation, “Latinidad: Framed, created, disrupted,” which shared my research and generated a place for belonging with broad audiences. The performance art installation allowed me to synthesize my autoethnographic reflections and performance process for sensing belonging. Overall, I argue creative methodologies, such as autoethnography and performance art, are generative for reclaiming cultural heritage and ancestral connections to effectively transform representational erasures and stereotypes into spaces for authentic belonging
AI-Assisted Spectral Fingerprinting of Mg-Doped ZnO Tracer Phosphors: Tuning Photoluminescence Emission and Investigating Lifetime via Sol-Gel Synthesis Parameters
No full textPlastic sorting remains a major driver of recycling costs, and existing infrared (IR) optical identification systems cannot determine material prominence or quality, nor reliably identify dark polymers [1]. This work explores a PVA-stabilized sol–gel and thermal synthesis route for magnesium-doped zinc oxide (Mg:ZnO) as a tunable photoluminescent tracer phosphor.
Lattice-defect control forms the foundation of phosphorescent emission tuning, enabling unique spectral fingerprints to be generated based on synthesis parameters—Mg molar ratio (Mg%), PVA mass (g), and calcination temperature (°C). Photoluminescence (PL) spectra (400–850 nm) were analyzed using Gaussian peak fitting and principal component analysis (PCA), reducing hundreds of spectral features to a few predictive variables. Machine learning (ML) models successfully classified samples by PVA mass and calcination temperature and predicted Mg doping ratio with above-random accuracy. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), analyzed via analysis of variance (ANOVA), confirmed polycrystalline wurtzite Mg:ZnO with minor MgO phases that diminished at higher temperatures, statistically linking PXRD structural results to PCA-derived PL emission trends.
Collectively, the structural, optical, and statistical results demonstrate that synthesis parameters can effectively tune PL emission behavior, positioning Mg:ZnO as a promising tracer phosphor for intelligent plastic-recycling technologies
Community, Autonomy, Irony: Lessons from Historic Rosenwald Schools
No full textGrowing evidence suggests the Rosenwald schools of the American South, which anchored thousands of Black communities for a half century before desegregation, boosted academic outcomes for generations of Black students and helped fuel the civil rights movement. The research literature, however, is thin on what specifically made these schools successful. My research attempts to narrow the gaps by asking the Rosenwald alums themselves. Through semi-structured interviews, 10 alums in Florida identify defining features of their schools, including seamless community connections; a culture of high expectations for academic achievement and character development; and especially caring and committed teachers. The alums’ insights often evoke evidence-based findings about effective schools and teachers, which points the way to further research. They also elicit prominent features of the school choice movement. Though segregated and poorly funded, Rosenwald schools operated with significant autonomy over staffing, instruction, and other core functions, which they ironically assumed due to the neglect of White school boards. Contemporary school choice programs offer autonomy as a core principle, suggesting today’s education policy debates could benefit from deeper examination of these forgotten schools
Dissecting the Intrinsic and Extrinsic Regulators of Prostate Cancer Dormancy in the Bone Microenvironment
No full textMetastatic disease is the primary driver of cancer-related mortality. In prostate cancer (PCa), patient survival decreases dramatically once the disease spreads to distant organs, with over 80% of metastases occurring in the bone. This dissemination is often followed by a clinically silent period of tumor dormancy that can last for years, creating a critical reservoir of cells poised for lethal relapse. A significant barrier to understanding and targeting this dormant phase has been the lack of robust experimental models. This thesis first addresses this challenge by establishing a novel stress-induced model of PCa dormancy, validated across multiple murine and human cell lines. We demonstrate that this dormant phenotype is sustained in vivo following intra-iliac artery delivery into the bone marrow and, critically, can be reversed to a proliferative state by tissue injury, mimicking clinical reactivation.
Using this model, transcriptomic analysis identified the transcription factor PRDM16 as a key intrinsic regulator commonly upregulated in dormant PCa cells. Functional studies confirmed that PRDM16 is essential for maintaining the dormant state both in vitro and in vivo. Clinically, higher PRDM16 expression correlated with reduced disease recurrence and inversely correlated with the E2F cell cycle program in disseminated tumor cells from patient bone marrow. Mechanistically, we show that PRDM16 directly binds the promoter region of the potent cell cycle repressor RB1.
Our transcriptomic data also revealed a distinct enrichment of extracellular matrix (ECM) regulators in dormant cells, implicating ECM remodeling as a central process. Subsequent functional screens identified Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) as a critical mediator. Pharmacological or genetic inhibition of MMP2 abrogated entry into dormancy and triggered cell death. Conversely, using an inducible shRNA system, we demonstrated that downregulating MMP2 in established dormant cells promoted reawakening and proliferation, suggesting a dynamic, context-dependent role for MMP2 in regulating the dormancy-reactivation switch.
Finally, leveraging our novel syngeneic model, we investigated how dormant cells interact with their microenvironment. Using spatial transcriptomics, we dissected the cellular landscape of the bone niche harboring dormant PCa cells, revealing significant alterations within the B cell compartment. This finding suggests that dormant cells are not passive but actively modulate their local immune microenvironment.
In conclusion, this work presents novel, clinically relevant models of PCa dormancy and identifies PRDM16 and MMP2 as distinct molecular regulators governing the maintenance and dynamic state-switching of dormant cells. Furthermore, it provides spatial resolution of potential dormant tumor-immune crosstalk in the bone, opening new avenues for therapeutic intervention against metastatic relapse
Econometric Analyses Across the Continuum of Care for Individuals with Hearing Loss
No full textHearing loss affects individuals across the age span and, if left untreated, can lead to developmental delays and health and well-being concerns. This dissertation applies econometric analyses to investigate factors influencing diagnostic outcomes in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), intervention enrollment rates among babies with permanent childhood hearing loss (PCHL), and utilization and hospitalization outcomes among adults with sensory impairment (SI). The first study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of automated auditory brainstem response (aABR) versus transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) for newborn hearing screenings in a Thailand hospital NICU. Decision tree modeling and economic evaluation suggested that although aABR is more costly, it demonstrated superior sensitivity and specificity compared to TEOAE. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) indicated that the aABR’s higher diagnostic accuracy may justify the increased expense for identifying hearing loss in high-risk populations. The second study examines the association of state mandates for pediatric hearing aid insurance coverage on early intervention (EI) enrollment rates. Analyses of state-year panel data for 31 states over 15 years revealed that insurance mandates alone do not significantly reduce loss-to-follow-up (LTFU) to EI enrollment, after adjusting for demographic and contextual variables. Ethnicity and annual birth volume were more strongly associated with LTFU, suggesting the importance of culturally and linguistically tailored strategies and necessary consideration for contextual factors in policy evaluation. In the third study, we used a case-control design with three years of Florida inpatient hospitalization data to explore the relationship between SI and discharge against medical advice (DAMA) among adults. Results indicated that adults with SI are more likely to be discharged by a provider than their peers without SI. Additional influences included demographic, clinical, and hospital factors. Notably, practices associated with teaching and not-for-profit hospitals and rehabilitation therapies were linked to reduced DAMA rates. This dissertation highlights the importance of prioritizing diagnostic accuracy, policy context, and individualized care in optimizing hearing health and healthcare outcomes for vulnerable populations. Our findings inform clinical practice, health policy, and future research aimed at reducing disparities and improving service delivery across the continuum of care for individuals of all ages with hearing loss
Breaking the Cycle: A Teacher and Mother’s Examination of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support
No full textThe 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) included Response to Intervention (RTI) as an option for determining eligibility for learning disabilities. However, there is no required structure to follow for RTI implementation. This lack of guidance leads to a lack of clarity in implementation at district and site levels. Many states use RTI as the primary indicator of whether a student needs special education services for a learning disability. RTI is a model for delivery of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). The terms RTI and MTSS are often used interchangeably. For clarity, I use MTSS-RTI to refer to MTSS that incorporates RTI as a framework. Without fidelity of intervention, students who may need additional support may not receive help. As a special education teacher leader and parent, I use autoethnography to explore MTSS-RTI implementation through my dual identities to examine MTSS-RTI from multiple perspectives. My findings show that lack of common knowledge, preparation and professional development, personnel, and communication are barriers to MTSS-RTI implementation with fidelity. I conclude with implications for teachers, school leaders, and district personnel and policy-makers to improve MTSS-RTI
Thermal Properties of Novel Materials
No full textThermal properties play an important role in various aspects of applications of technology startingfrom the materials property determinations to device performance improvements and their safety and stability. Measurements of the thermal properties of such materials of interest pose challenges due to the demands of these measurements for determination of intrinsic materials properties. The research included in this dissertation involved both synthesis of novel materials and their measurement of thermal properties. Solid-state materials synthesis involves various synthesis and processing techniques, while specific technological applications demand synthesis of defect-free single crystals. Such synthesis techniques were explored for the research included in this dissertation. Study of intrinsic transport properties of novel materials is a challenging task, which demands the elimination of all possible extrinsic effects on the electronic and thermal transport during the material synthesis and processing stages. Furthermore, a fundamental understanding of thermal transport of a material is crucial for any application of interest and essential for thermoelectrics, thermal barrier coatings, phase change materials and photovoltaics. This dissertation presents investigations into the thermal properties of several different classes of materials. The specific structural features most commonly observed in these materials are studied with respect to their structure-thermal properties relationships