Essays on Urban Ecology and Natural Capital in Miami-Dade's Water Systems

This interdisciplinary dissertation consists of four essays that draw from the disciplines of urban ecology, economics, spatial econometrics, and climate change science.&nbsp;These essays explore (1) the ability of distinct natural capital valuation techniques to both estimate the intertemporal welfare from, and recover the marginal value of, a natural resource, and (2), the question of whether climate exposure has been internalized in institutional property tax rate (millage) setting behavior. The first essay discusses the nexus between urban ecology and natural resource economics, and the second essay derives the natural capital asset pricing equation from Fenichel and Abbott (2014) and extends it to the pink shrimp (Farfantepenaeus duorarum) bait fishery in Biscayne Bay, Florida, USA. The third essay extends the Gisser and Sanchez (1980) hydro-economic model to the unconfined Biscayne aquifer in southeastern Florida, to compare the difference in intertemporal welfare between the optimal management of a public water system and the myopic exploitation of a coastal aquifer, subject to extraction induced saltwater intrusion and encroachment. The fourth essay uses the theoretical and empirical methodologies of spatial panel econometrics to estimate the impact of climate exposure on the property tax revenues from South Florida municipalities.</p

Integrating Generative AI into Prevention Science: Using Large Language Models to Enhance the Implementation of Preventive Interventions

Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have transformed scientific innovation across multiple disciplines. However, within prevention science, AI has been used primarily for risk detection, leaving its potential to enhance program implementation largely unexplored. This dissertation provides empirical evidence that AI, particularly Generative AI, can play a transformative role in implementation science. Three studies are presented to demonstrate this potential. Study 1 developed an AI-driven chatbot that simulates adolescent participants to support facilitator training in a brief preventive intervention. Study 2 evaluated the validity and reliability of an AI-based system for automatically identifying and coding facilitator delivery skills to assess implementation fidelity. Study 3 generated an automated feedback report translating AI-coded data into actionable insights for facilitators. Together, these studies advance prevention science by demonstrating practical and ethical approaches to integrating AI into the implementation of preventive interventions. This research strengthens implementation practices, bridges the gap between technological innovation and real-world application, and ensures that AI-driven tools make meaningful contributions to prevention science.</p

The Embodiment of Negative Desires in Early Modern Women's Poetry

The early modern women Lucy Hutchinson, Katherine Philips, and Aphra Behn all embody their loved ones&mdash;friends, lovers, fellow artists&mdash;in verse. I argue that through embodiment these poets express negative desires, desires which can never be consummated or productive, and are forestalled by the poetry itself. In doing so, I push against readings of these women&rsquo;s work that focuses either on more passive emotions, such as Hutchinson&rsquo;s melancholy, or more idealistic readings of Philips&rsquo; lesbian retreat or Behn&rsquo;s Golden Age sexual utopia. Instead, I examine how Hutchinson uses her poetry to represent desires for vengeance, how Philips represents her desire for control, and Behn represents creativity as the zenith of sexuality, with the presence of bodies resulting instead in abjection. I trace how these poets convey their negative desires and how the mode of textual transmission affects their embodied representation of their loved ones, from Hutchinson as the least circulated writer during her lifetime, to Behn who was widely published in both print and manuscript. Throughout, I interrogate to what extent such embodiments can be termed &ldquo;queer&rdquo; or &ldquo;queer-feminist&rdquo; and the stakes for queer feminist critique within the field of early modern women&rsquo;s poetry.</p

DUOX2-Mediated Host-Microbiome Interactions in Health and Disease

The gut epithelium regulates host-microbiome dynamics through mechanisms that include the release of reactive oxygen species by NADPH oxidases. Dual oxidase 2 (DUOX2) is an antimicrobial NADPH oxidase that catalyzes the production of hydrogen peroxide. Dysregulation of DUOX2 activity, either via loss-of-function mutations or overexpression, has been associated with pathologies involving chronic inflammation, dysbiosis, and epithelial barrier defects, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and associated cancers. DUOX2 is consistently altered in IBD patients, even before the onset of disease, and this alteration is associated with dysbiosis. However, the role of DUOX2 in driving IBD or associated cancers is not known.Here, we aimed to elucidate the functional consequences of DUOX2 activity and interrogate the underlying mechanisms by which it promotes pathology. We also explored potential regulators of DUOX2 activity that could be leveraged for therapeutic applications. Given DUOX2&#39;s role in maintaining homeostasis, we simultaneously investigated the systemic consequences of losing DUOX2 activity in the gut. Our findings reveal that chronic DUOX2 activity promotes colonic tumors (chapter 2) and is linked to epithelial barrier defects seen early in IBD (chapter 3). We also identified the microbial metabolite butyrate and HDAC inhibitors as regulators of DUOX2, highlighting the potential of microbiome and metabolome-targeting approaches in IBD therapeutics (Chapter 3). Lastly, our work reveals a novel role for intestinal-specific DUOX2 in protecting against metabolic syndrome (chapter 4). Overall, this thesis elucidates the dual role of DUOX2 in both disease progression and maintenance of homeostasis, emphasizing its potential as a target for therapeutic strategies.</p

Dermoscopy of the Hair and Nails

This new edition of a bestselling text almost amounts to a completely new book, with over 750 figures of common and uncommon disorders, including new chapters on trichoscopy of hair transplantation, teletrichoscopy, and trichoscopy of the shaved scalp. The chapters also list the key clues that are important to help the practitioner reach the correct diagnosis about problems with hair or nails. "Numerous high-quality photos are helpful in demonstrating key features" (Doody's Reviews) [of the previous edition

Social Determinants of Health, Race/Ethnicity, and Biological Aging among Diverse U.S. Adults

Social determinants of health are recognized as fundamental drivers of health inequities, including premature aging. Individuals of low socio-economic status are hindered by premature morbidity and mortality and have an accelerated decline in physical, physiological, and cognitive health. This is particularly salient for racial and ethnic minority populations that are disproportionately burdened by low socio-economic status, who are prone to psychosocial stressors such as stigma and discrimination, placing them at risk of accelerated aging. As U.S. ethnic minority populations will soon represent a majority of the U.S., understanding drivers of accelerated aging in traditionally understudied and underserved groups is essential.In Aim 1, we found adverse levels of social determinants of health (e.g. lower education among only females and lower income and born in the U.S. among males and females) were associated with greater biological age, with differential associations by race/ethnicity. We also found accelerated biological age among non-Hispanic Black adults and decelerated biological age among non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Asian adults. In Aim 2, we found slower biological aging among Hispanic males and females over the course of a six-year (e.g. aged chronologically by six years) follow-up period. We found decelerated aging speed among Hispanic females with higher education and born outside the U.S. and among Hispanic males and females with greater income. In Aim 3, we found each yearly increment in biological age was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality among males and females, with stronger associations among those with higher education (among only females) and higher income.&nbsp;Our findings underscore the role of adverse levels of social determinants of health in the aging process. Targeting upstream sources of structural disadvantage among racial/ethnic minority groups, in conjunction with improvements to income and education, may promote healthy aging in these populations.</p

Tools to Engineer and Modulate π-Conjugated Superstructures at Equilibrium and Non-Equilibrium States

Supramolecular assemblies are ubiquitous in biological systems and often regulate vital complex cellular tasks. Nature has mastered the ability to engineer sophisticated hierarchical assemblies with emergent behaviors and structure-function properties. Supramolecular chemistry, drawing inspiration from the complex assemblies in biological systems, attempts to mimic nature&#39;s proficiency in creating complex materials through noncovalent interactions. This field has significantly advanced the past two decades, offering a plethora of supramolecular systems that can self-organize into tailored architectures under thermodynamic control. Yet, biological functionalities often emerge from configurations that transcend these global energy minima, venturing into non-equilibrium states where kinetic traps and metastable assemblies exist. Recent decades have seen a concerted effort to navigate the potential energy landscape with molecular precision, enabling the reconfiguration of building blocks from equilibrium to dynamic, nonequilibrium states. This exploration has been pivotal in developing materials that exhibit emergent behaviors akin to those found in living systems, which constantly consume energy to maintain non-equilibrium states. Amongst the numerous building blocks capable of self-assembly, &pi;-conjugated chromophores stand out for their capacity to transfer energy and conduct electricity when doped, showcasing the potential for creating materials that respond dynamically to environmental stimuli. This thesis leverages such building blocks, focusing on naphthalene diamide and porphyrin systems, to generate supramolecular systems with manipulable structure-function properties in different thermodynamic states.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p

The Impact of Recent Incarceration and Structural Barriers on the HIV Treatment Cascade

Introduction: Although incarceration may provide a chance for people living with HIV (PLWH) to receive HIV treatment, there is a notable drop-off in care that happens after release. The current study sought to examine how recent incarceration is associated with structural barriers and the HIV care cascade in a sample of recently incarcerated and never incarcerated PLWH in Miami. Methods: A sample of 725 participants (97 recently incarcerated, 628 never incarcerated) receiving HIV care at a large public HIV clinic in Miami completed an interviewer-administered survey. HIV viral load and dates of HIV care visits over time since completing the survey were extracted from medical charts. Linear regressions were used to examine the relationship between recent incarceration and experiencing structural barriers (unstable housing, lower education level, and lower health literacy). Then, survival analyses were used to determine whether the time to falling off the HIV care cascade differed based on incarceration history. Lastly, structural barriers and substance use were added to the survival analysis model. Results: Recent incarceration was associated with a higher likelihood of experiencing unstable housing and having a lower education level, but was not associated with health literacy. Using survival analysis, participants who were recently incarcerated fell out of HIV care over one year (398.05 days) sooner than those without a history of incarceration. Lastly, after the structural barriers and substance use were added to the model, the model remained significant. The structural barrier variables did not significantly contribute to the model; however, substance use was significantly related. Conclusions: The findings highlight the unique contribution that past-year incarceration contributes to likelihood of falling out of HIV care. The specific reasons for this relationship need further exploration to inform and develop interventions specific for PLWH being released from incarceration to ensure they are able to maintain proper HIV health after release.</p

Photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol and parathion using gel-like carbon dots under simulated solar irradiation

In this work, gel-like carbon dots (gelCDs), synthesized via a hydrothermal reaction between citric acid and 1,2ethylenediamine, were investigated as a sustainable, metal-free advanced oxidation processes universal photocatalyst for the degradation of common persistent organic pollutants. In order to prove the universality of this photocatalyst, we have tested the photocatalytic oxidative degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) and parathion, two common persistent organic pollutants with unrelated structures, under simulated solar light. Photocatalytic advanced oxidation process degradation experiments demonstrated efficient removal of both pollutants, with the process following pseudo-first-order kinetics for 2,4-DCP and zero-order kinetics for parathion. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger studies identified superoxide radicals (O2-& sdot;) and photogenerated holes (h+) as the dominant oxidative species, supported by consistent inhibition trends across both pollutants. The catalyst retained photocatalytic activity over multiple reuse cycles, indicating moderate operational stability. These findings position gelCDs as a potential promising candidate for solar-driven wastewater treatment applications.</p

Hematoma expansion in intracerebral hemorrhage retrospective chart review: Who are the super-expanders?

Hematoma expansion in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a predictor of poor outcome and remains an important therapeutic target. Little is known about the incidence and clinical characteristics of patients with severe hematoma expansion, who we hereafter label as super-expanders. We retrospectively reviewed baseline clinical and radiological features in consecutive ICH patients admitted over a three-year period to a comprehensive stroke center. Hematoma expansion was defined conventionally as a > 33 % increase in hematoma volume or a > 6 ml increase in absolute hematoma volume between the baseline and 24-hour follow-up brain CT. Severe hematoma expansion was defined as a > 50 % increase in ICH volume associated with a decrease in the Glasgow Coma Scale of at least four points. We used Random Forest (RF) to generate importance plots searching for the determinants of super-expanders in ICH. In addition, a multivariable logistic regression model was done to examine independent factors associated with super-expanders. We analyzed 417 cases. Hematoma expansion, defined conventionally, occurred in 97/417 (23 %) patients of which 15/417 (4 %) were super-expanders. In the univariate analysis, super-expanders were more likely to have a lobar hemorrhage, spot sign, and increased in-hospital mortality. Using the RF analysis, age, platelet count, and presence of a spot sign emerged as important determinants of super-expansion. In a multivariable model, only spot sign was an independent predictor for super-expansion [Age (OR = 1.43, 95 % CI=0.61–3.37), spot sign (OR = 6.25, 95 % CI=2.30–17.00), lobar location (OR = 4.63, 95 % CI= 0.92–23.42)]. We describe a low incidence of 4 % of severe hematoma expansion in ICH. There were no definitive clinical or radiological characteristics that differentiated super-expanders. Identifying such characteristics may allow for patient risk stratification. We encourage further investigations into the early identification of super-expanders, who arguably have the most to benefit from aggressive interventions. •"Super-expander" hematomas comprised only 4 % (15/417) of intracranial hemorrhages, making them uncommon but clinically relevant.•CTA spot sign was the only independent predictor and potential early risk stratifier of super-expansion, with an odds ratio (OR) of 6.25•Super-expanders were more likely to have lobar hemorrhages, a spot sign, and higher in-hospital mortality.•Age, platelet count, and spot sign were important variables per Random Forest, but only spot sign was signficant per multivariable analysis